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Hidden References, Cameos, and Easter Eggs from ‘Star Trek Beyond’

| July 30, 2016 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 128 comments so far

Star Trek Beyond has been out for over a week, so now it’s time to talk about all the cool little winks, nods, and less than obvious “Easter eggs” in the film. There were many really great homages to past Trek in Beyond . For great coverage of the homages, we highly recommend friend of TrekMovie Laurie Ulster’s post on Screen Rant , she did a great job. Our version then, will focus on smaller and less obvious or more real-world (rather than in-universe) nods, cameos, etc.

Michael Giacchino worked some homages to TOS and TOS-movies into his score:

• When Kirk and Chekov are in Jaylah’s trap there’s a small refrain that sounds like the “Shore Leave” music from TOS.
• As the Enterprise arrives at Altamid, there are sort of haunting space chimes, that are very reminiscent of a TMP score track titled “Games.”

Calling the Beastie Boys “classical music” is both a Futurama reference and a long running joke in Sci-Fi in general to call contemporary pop music “classical music.”

Famous Names

The Franklin was lost in the Gagarin Radiation Belt – This is a double reference, it was mentioned in the ENT episode “Strange New World”, and it is named after Yuri Gagarin, first man in space.

The USS Franklin ‘s registry number is NX-326, Leonard Nimoy’s birthday is March 26th or (3/26), it was confirmed by production staff that this was another way in which Beyond  pays tribute to him.

The bridge escape pods were named Kelvin Pods in the movie because of the sacrifice of George Kirk on the bridge of the USS Kelvin  as seen in Star Trek (2009) . It also bears a resemblance to the all purpose spacedock “Work Bee” units first seen in  Star Trek: The Motion Picture .

A nod to Captain Picard’s old ship can be overheard as the crew disembarks on to the Yorktown , the USS Stargazer NCC-2893 is called out over the starbase’s communication system.

The USS Franklin is named for Frank Lin, Justin Lin’s father. The dedication plaque even has a tiny space between the “Frank” and “lin” as a way to signify the namesake.

Other fun bits

Kirk tells Spock to “skip to the end” a reference to Simon Pegg’s Spaced .

When Bones comes into the officer’s lounge he finds Kirk drinking Saurian Brandy, a long running favorite adult beverage of choice in Trek series.

The ephemera control panel on the USS Franklin. John Cho tweeted this picture recently. Trek production staff have often had fun with the tiny labels on control panels which are never going to seen up close.

Scotty discusses the various theories about the Franklin ‘s disappearance, he mentions a “giant green space hand”, which is a reference to the TOS episode “Who Mourns for Adonais?” But did you catch that during the end credits a giant green hand appears after all the cast names and crew, right when the names Paramount Pictures and Skydance come up on screen? From the left, the giant hand quickly fills screen and dissolves. The hand is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment.

The giant green space hand is more easily seen on the home video release.

Justin Lin’s son is the green boy that the camera whizzes past but pauses on briefly, on the Yorktown

Greg Grunberg plays Commander Finnegan, the name is a call back to Finnegan from “Shore Leave.” Grunberg is a life-long friend of JJ Abrams and pops up in pretty much every show or movie JJ is involved with. Grunberg was also the angry voice of Kirk’s step-father when the young Kirk took his classic car out for a joyride in Star Trek (2009) .

Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com, plays the alien Starfleet officer who calibrates the universal translator for Kalara’s language.

Bucket list. Cast, crew and Justin Lin @trailingjohnson were amazing. #StarTrekBeyond https://t.co/VJ95D8pQeK — Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) July 20, 2016

Screenwriter Doug Jung appears as Ben (Sulu’s husband).

Danny Pudi from cult sitcom  Community along with Fast and Furious alum Kim Kold, are two of the aliens that intimidate Scotty after he crashes on Altamid.

We’re sure there’s even more, so feel free to add to the list in the comments.

Remember for this version, we purposefully skipped listing the homages, because Laurie did a great job covering them here:

http://screenrant.com/retro-references-star-trek-beyond/

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I also considered Commodore Paris to be a reference to Tom Paris on Voyager

Yep, I thought she was a distinguished ancestor of out Tom.

So did I……

Carlo Angelotti , Trainer of FC Bayern Munich has a cameo on Yorktown as medical doctor as well. He is friends with Zoe Saldana !

@Stefan_Str

Think you’ll find it is ‘Ancelotti’….

Any who, I did hear about that but completely forgot about! Did he get into shot??

Chekov ‘s “little old lady from Leningrad” who invented Scotch is from TOS “Trouble With Tribbles”

Yes, caught that one – made me smile!

“Little old lady from Russia” don’t you mean? Leningrad is no more. The city is now known by its original name, St Petersburg.

You missed Fiona Vroom, Lolani from STC.

Also, I could have sworn that the Vulcan giving Spock the bad new is Jeffrey Tambor. Could be wrong….

When the swarm first appears on the Enterprise screens, its formation appears to be identical to the “space lips” from Spock’s journey into V’ger in ST:TMP.

Chekov that comments that scotch was “inwented” by a little old lady from Russia (trouble with tribbles)

Kelvin is originally a reference to JJ’s grandfather.

Hhmmmm…Any chance that theory could be absolute BS and that the Kelvin is actually named after the freaking scientist?

There was a USS Kelvin in TOS

No, both the Kelvin and its Captain (Roboue?) were named after family members of JJ Abrams and Roberto Orci. Of course the name Kelvin also fits Star Trek tradition, by being also the name of a well knwon sciencetist, and the basic temperature scale used on earth.

There are at least 3 Voyager references I can remember.

Commodore Paris Scotty not wanting McCoy & Spock spliced together (Tuvix) McCoy says ‘feels like my innards (or insides) feel like they’ve been in a barn dance. This one is a stretch but there was somewhat of a barn dance in Caretaker.

Didn’t catch any DS9 Easter Eggs, there was a 3 nacelled ship near Enterprise at Yorktown, maybe that was the Saratoga or Defiant.

Actually the McCoy Spock spliced together line was a reference to McCoy being the keeper of Spock’s Katra in Star Trek III.

I just went by the transporter accident in that episode & what might have happened since the one on Franklin wasn’t safe for bio transport.

My first thought went to “Tuvix” as well where the characters actually were spliced together. Spock and McCoy weren’t spliced together in TSFS. McCoy was no more than storage spage for Spock’s consciousness.

Speaking of musical cues, right before the Enterprise arrives at Yorktown at the beginning of the movie, the chord progression is very reminiscent of James Horner’s “Star Trek III” score when that Enterprise arrives at space dock.

Yep, I heard that as well.

I find it interesting that kirk had no romantic interests in this film… perhaps carol broke his heart before she left the ship.

Or perhaps he has figured out that shipboard romances between the C.O. and subordinates are (a) inappropriate; (b) probably against regs, for very good reasons; and (c) downright dumb. (A and B are also my main objections to the Spock/Uhura pairing, but I digress.) Also, the general pace of the film didn’t leave much room to introduce, develop, and get rid of the Space-Bimbo-of-the-Week.

lol. did not keep Chekhov from it though

NOPE Just as well Kirk did not appear to have a love interest, lest she automatically be labelled “Space-Bimbo-of-the-Week”. Charming – NOT…:(

Also bear in mind what Kirk said to Jaylah after it was confirmed that she could go to Starfleet Academy. He said that there were a lot of rules, but that she did not need to follow all of them…

Was following your feminist logic until your concluded with term bimbo.

Kirk never let regulations get in the way of shipboard romance

“Kirk never let regulations get in the way of shipboard romance”

Such as when?

@TallguyToo numerous to mention.

I love everything you said. And, “Space-Bimbo-of-the-Week.” Very appropriate. Considering everything that’s gone before…

I don’t think anyone mentioned that, in ST:Beyond, Kirk mentions the Saurian brandy they got on Thasis. Thasis was where the picked up “Charlie X” in TOS, LOL!

I thought that’s what I heard but I hadn’t seen it anywhere else

Isn’t the music blasted at the aliens the same music blaring over the corvette speakers as the young Kirk drives it to it’s demise in the opening scene of ST2009? Kirk smirks and says “good choice”…

I think you are right on that one

100%. JJ apparently is a big Beastie Boys fan, and this is the same from his car stealing scene in the first reboot movie.

I give the film 3 of 5 stars. It was not epic, more episodically reminiscent of a tv script. In a nutshell it was SW Meets Fast & Furious using Trek characters.

ABSOLUTELY! ! !

I think you need to join the meeting across the road,,guest speaker ,george lucas

Yeah I think the production Staff are all there taking notes for Star Trek 4

Hardcore Star Trek fans seem to prefer the movie being reminiscent of an episode. Just goes to show you can’t please all the people all the time.

“I ripped my shirt again” that was a nice reference to Treks first season where Kirk’s shirt was ripped several times.

Ok Film, the parts were better than the whole I thought. #3 of the new ones in my book.

Ok so clearly the new ship created at the end with the registry 1701-A is a throw back to what happened at the ebd if STIV:TVH

Every day I come to the internet to see if finally I will have the chance to see her schematics! The new ship seems to be the jjprise minus all the features I disliked the most about the ‘original’ jjprise!! Did anyone else notice this? Surely I’m not the only one who is acutely observant of changes in starship design…

I think the new 1701-A REALLY overcompensated for the previous flimsy nacelle pylons, but overall a spectacular design.

Agreed with your observations. The weird thing is….I didn’t realize how used to the JJprise I’d gotten until I saw her being torn apart. I realized I’m actually gonna miss that ship. Still…..can’t wait to see the new one in action, she’s a beaut!

Ooh yes. It is rad. Reducing the pushed forward deflector dish and removing the flimsy and curved nacelle pylons is an amazing move.

Knowing that the jj-prise was going down in this film I was super keen to see where the next ship called ‘Enterprise’ would go in terms of design… I did not expect to see it in this film though! I agree, I have seriously warmed to the jj-prise since I saw it for the first time. I look to it with love now; initially it disgusted me.

This film was full of surprises. The new ‘A’, and the photo of the original crew were awesome touches ^^

I’m going to see it for a 4th time :D

If I am being pedantic, I think the pylons could meet the nacelles halfway down, instead if at the leading edge

I’m with you. I hated the original hot-rod JJprise, and while I haven’t seen a lot of the JJprise-A, from what I have seen I think I can live with it.

As far as I know the Franklin is named after Justin Lins father, Frank Lin

It’s interesting that knowing that, one can see the extra space between the K and L on the dedication plaque than between the other letters.

It says that in the story above.

Did anyone think that the Yorktown’s design was reminiscent of Larry Niven’s Ringworld?

No not at all and it’s not

I saw another hidden Easter egg/ cameo/ homage story on YouTube for Beyond that says because it’s the 50th anniversary there were 50 new alien species sprinkled throughout the movie. I did notice quite a few in background scenes of the Yorktown especially.

Wouldn’t it be great if they released each of the 50 new alien races ( as well as the other BEYOND figures ) as high end action figures ( instead of those ghastly funko-pop travesties )?

Out of the 3 Kelvin-timeline movies, Beyond screams out for new toys, but alas it seems that in space no can hear you scream…

McCoy saying “In a pigs eye” is a reference to “Amok Time”.

-Karl Urban’s unbuttoned shirt and necklace in the party scene are a tribute to McCoy’s civilian look from the beginning of TMP. -Chris Pine’s hair is now close to the same color and parted on the same side as TOS Kirk’s, complete with little forehead flip when it gets roughed up. -Justin Lin’s son’s alien look was inspired by Yoda. He gave them a description of what he wanted, and then later admitted he’d just wanted to be Yoda. -The pantsless alien crew member is named Kevin. Kevin Riley, is that alternate-universe you?? -Bones’ line ‘In a pig’s eye!’ comes directly from the TOS episode ‘Amok Time’.

What pantsless aliens?

In the party scene, the little tiny guy walking with Keenser. Kirk says “Hey, Keenser. Kevin, see you’re still not wearing pants,” or something to that effect.

Wow. Totally missed that!

Even weirder “Kevin” appears to be one of the Teenaxians they beamed up with Kirk (since they were on him) from the failed diplomatic mission at the beginning.

“Justin Lin’s son’s alien look was inspired by Yoda” Who was that? Pantsless alien crew?

I wonder if the design of Yorktown looks like DS9 on purpose. That might be an Easter egg. And the drinking scene between Bones and Kirk is very similar to the scene between Pike and Boyce from the Cage.

They don’t look anything alike, other than that are both designed to look like space stations

Looking at some other sites today, anyone know why in the UK version, Joe Taslim’s ( Manas/Anderson Le ) image does not appear next to Eddison in the “Case Closed” scene near the end of the film? Instead he’s replaced by another actor with a shaven head.

Lydia Wilson’s Jessica Wolfe ( Kalara ) remains intact to Eddison’s right in the holo-display, but Joe Taslim is definitely missing in the version I’ve seen at the cinema.

These are great, thanks. I especially love the significance of NX-326, and the Stargazer cameo which I totally missed. The “Shore Leave” theme and the Goldsmith and Horner cues were all very cool — glad they’re on the soundtrack! There’s also a Yorktown shot where we see the Enterprise through interior windows, very similar to a shot in Star Trek III.

Eager to see Beyond again and catch the floating hand in the credits. When Scotty said that, it was all I could do to not scream!

Shot of Enterprise entering space doors at Yorktown very reminiscent of Enterprise entering Spacedock in STIII

I thought the three glass toast between kirk and mcoy with chechovs brandy was in honour of Leonard nimoy

Wow. I assumed that was for George Kirk, but you know what they say when you assume…

Yeah pretty sure it was intended to be for Kirk’s dad

I like to imagine that in-universe it was primarily for Kirk’s dad, but also a little for Admiral Pike, who was like a dad to him too. Leonard got lots of other tribute through the movie.

And while they didn’t realize it at the filming… for Anton

He probably did it in the other two films, but my son pointed out that Karl Urban wears a pinkie ring, just as DeForest Kelley used to (it was his mother’s wedding ring and when Roddenberry told him to ditch the ring, Kelley told him “no ring, no DeForest”).

That’s a fine bit of DeForest trivia there, never heard that. Right on –

The sound design of the saucer breaking atmosphere as the ship passes by the screen you can hear a sound reference to the Enterprise of Star Trek 4 TVH as the ship goes to Warp.

McCoy’s hand held medical tricorder used to scan a drained corpse aboard the Enterprise has that heart pump sound effect as heard back in the 60’s when life readings were given in “sick bay”.

Scotty beams McCoy and Spock individually citing concerns that the Transporter technology was so outdated that the two (Spock/McCoy) could be spliced together. I thought this was a reference to McCoy holding Spock’s Marbles and the previous 3rd movie.

Yeah, when Kirk walks around, the sound of the rocks under his shoe sounds just like the sounds of Kirk walking on the Genisis planet in the Search for Spock.

Thats a bit cruel, some people are reaching, yes.

can you elaborate?.

Did anyone else notice that many of the computer sounds in Yorktown’s control room we’re from TNG/VOY and I think even from the later TOS movies? I’ll have to confirm this for sure when I get the blu-ray!

Yes even on the bridge of the ENT, definate TNG era “hail” effect

Nice reference to saurian brand, even down to a similar bottle… but they got it wrong mentioning that it was illegal. Romulan Ale was the illegal stuff Bones had brought in from across the Neutral Zone. Saurian Brandy was everywhere.

Kirk’s birthday seemed to be influenced from Wrath of Khan. His toast to “absent friends” was identical to Kirks toast with Uhura, Sulu and Chekov in Trek 3, just before Sarek arrives. McCoy’s toast to good eyesight and a head full of hair also seemed to be influenced Kirk’s eye problems in Trek 2.

Some sounds aboard the Franklin were TOS sound effects.

The transporter pads were now MUCH easier to stand on. lol Flat and ringed, like those in TOS. The awkward spheres are, thankfully, gone.

Kirk mentions assembling an away team…wrong for the era, should’ve been “landing party”.

McCoy mentions med-bay, should be sick-bay…but he did this in earlier films too.

One glaring iconic omission, Spock, has yet to use a tricorder…hope they slip that in somewhere, next time.

I thought the toast to “good eyesight and a full head of hair” was not only a reference to the birthday scene in “Wrath of Khan…” “For patients your age, I usually recommend Retinax…” We all know how Kirk felt about those glasses! But I also thought it was an in-joke referencing the long standing rumor about Shatner and bad toupees.

Not bad, jabbing at both the actor and his character in one line!

Also thought the hair/eyesight line might be a polite little dig at Picard.

If you watch the distance to impact during the USS Franklin’s freefall, the last distance is 1967, which is the year of the Adonais/Green Hand episode, plus 4 or 5 other episodes that together look like the inspiration for this movie.

In TNG Technical Manuals it suggests that the Prime Universe NCC-1701 A was originally the USS Yorktown renamed. This contradicts the wildly non-canonical Mr. Scott’s Guide to the Enterprise which says that the NCC-1701-A was originally the USS TiHo, which was built from the keel up to be a transwarp test-bed.

Uh… no. The Kelvin Pods do not look like TMP’s pods.

Not sure if this has been mentioned , but if memory serves wasn’t Yorktown Gene’s second choice for names of the Enterprise?

previous Trek (movies/tv)

-Spock Primes death – Nimoy/Trek II

-saucer separation/destruction of the Ent with the saucer crashing on a rocky planet – Generations/Trek III

-Enterprise A – Trek IV

-‘absent friends’ scene* – Trek III/Nemesis (*no doubt a nod to the passing of Nimoy but the camera also seems to linger on Chekov)

-Yorktown – Roddenerrys original name for the Enterprise (also the Ent-A in Trek IV was originally the USS Yorktown)

-Yorktowns observation lounge with window showing Enterprise’s arrival – Trek III

-Scotty saying Spock and Bones could have merged in transporter – Trek III

-spock going through old spocks possessions in front of refracted mirror – Trek II (the refracted mirror in spocks quarters)

-crew using the enemys ship – Trek III

-Franklin crashing in water – Trek IV

-Villain marooned on inhospitable planet for decades out for revenge – Trek II (also a khan like villain out for revenge 5th time in a row – IX, X, XI, XII)

-kirk bones birthday scene ‘heres to perfect eyesight..and a full head of hair’ – Trek II (glasses/alcohol) and shatners ‘hair’ (also the scene was a call back to Pike/Boyce ‘bartender’ scene in The Cage)

-Kralls fountain of youth/rejuvenation thing – Insurrection

-cloaked Federation ship on alien world – Insurrection

-Enterprise being invaded/phaser fights in corridors – Nemesis/First Contact

-NX ship/uniforms/Maco/reference to Xindi & Romulan wars – Enterprise

-Scotty in the torpedo – STID (it actually looks like it might be a leftover from Khans torpedos)

-McCoys medallion – TMP

-rocky planet vistas – TOS (both pilots showing rocky planet matte painting backdrops)

-‘Episodic’/’Shirt ripped again’ – TOS

-day 966 – TOS (Sept 1966)

-Chekov’s russian inventions – TOS

-brandy from Thasus – TOS (Charlie X)

-Chekov and the green girl – TOS (Gamesters of Triskelion)

-Greg Grunberg/Commander Finnegan – TOS (Shore Leave)

-the opening of what we think are large aliens who turn out to be tiny aliens – TOS (Corbomite Manoeuvre/Catspaw)

-Captain gone mad/villainous after being marooned/losing crew – TOS (The Omega Glory/Doomsday Machine/Whom Gods Destroy)

-‘giant green space hand’ (also appears in the end credits) – TOS (Who Mourns For Adonis? – which was also recently referenced in XMen:Apocalypse)

-Doomsday Machine in end credits – TOS (Doomsday Machine)

-Genesis planet in end credits – Trek III

-Spock/bones stranded together – TOS (All Our Yesterdays)

-conflicted Kirk wrestling with the notion of taking desk job/Admiralty – Treks I-IV

-the opening was somewhat similar to the Klingon Courtroom scene – Trek VI

-Kirk washing his face in his bathroom – Picard at the start of First Contact

-Commodore Paris – Voyager

-announcement for “USS Stargazer” at Yorktown – TNG (The Battle)

-Enterprise A rapid building – looked like it inspired by this famous cutaway poster http://i.imgur.com/iIwfC.jpg

-‘Sabotage’/Kelvin pods – ST09

-score during the nebula sequence – TMP (similar to entering V’Ger music)

-Kirk v Krall fight music – TOS (Amok Time fight music)

-Demora – Generations

-Gay Sulu – George Takei

-The mass swarm of smaller ships – Voyager (The Swarm)

-Franklin registry NX 326 – Leonard Nimoys birthday (March 26)

other SF movies:

-uncovering old footage on derelict revealing the twist – Event Horizon, Sunshine, Planet of the Apes remake -the remnants of the crew of the crashed space ship on a distant planet becoming the basis for a war years later – Planet of the Apes remake -long lost space captain gone ‘space-mad’ trying to kill crew – Sunshine, Interstellar -igniting the fuel tank on the crashed ship to defeat the villain/using the past/future technology to destroy his army – Planet of the Apes remake -strangely alluring ass kicking alien woman – Fifth Element, Avatar -little white floating things bouncing in the air in the alien forest – Avatar -the sprawling Syd Mead style space station – Interstellar, Elysium -music destroying the attacking aliens – Mars Attacks -‘skip to the end’ – Spaced -at end villain appears to have conflicted conscience/looks to be turning good before reverting back to evil – Star Wars The Force Awakens -the death star schematic on the Yorktown – Star Wars

Am I the only one that noticed Krall call Kirk “My Old Friend” A direct reference to Kahn from Star Trek !! the wrath of Kahn?

I’ve seen that posted a bit, but do not think it’s accurate. I don’t think Krall was referring to Kirk as “my old friend,” instead, I think he was referring to the U.S.S. Franklin, the starship that had been under his command, as his old friend. It was one of the subtle hints as to whom Krull really would turn out to be.

However, the use of the line itself is definitely an homage to Khan.

U.S.S. Franklin is who I thought was “my old friend”.

From “Wrath of Khan” and forward, including the Kelvin timeline, we all know that photon torpedoes are actually physical devices, the black cylinders from the original timeline or the white casings used in “Into Darkness” the one Scotty uses to escape the Enterprise in “Beyond.”

However, did anyone notice how, in “Beyond,” when a torpedo was fired and would pass into view from behind, all you could see was a bright white animated blob that was nearly identical to how the photon torpedoes were depicted in “The Original Series.” The sound effect from firing the torpedoes was almost identical as well. This is most evident when Scotty is shot into space in one, as the torpedo is launched and then tracked as it heads towards the planet. I thought that was nice homage to the original effects…

Star Trek is clearly in the wrong hands. JJ and his uncreative friends have refreshed the look (something that is partly due to the huge increase in the budgets for these movies) but have either chosen or are simply incapable of writing their own material. Instead of “rebooting” the original, they should have taken Star Strek 100 years further into the future after TNG. These guys are either simply bad at what they do or are not true Star Trek fans, thus their comfort with messing with the originals. Perhaps it’s both.

Of course, you’re wrong, but that’s ok.

Of course. It is. God forbid we create as opposed to re-create Johnny boy. Enjoy the blue ray.

No way to your suggestion. I want me Kirk, Spock et al. Not enough is known about their prime timeline, let alone this new Kelvin timeline. And I am a true Star Trek fan, because I say so…:)

My favourite was seeing Sybok when The Beastie Boys were playing. I heard a voice say “I couldn’t help but notice your pain………”

Didn’t see anything about the name Yorktown, which was the first name choice for the Enterprise

Footage of the original crew of the USS Frank Linn. They are wearing ENT era uniforms.

You can also see a shuttle approaching in the background that looks like the ones used on Star Trek Enterprise.

Yeah I recognised the enterprise uniforms by their collars and shoulder badges. They seemed a little different though – couldn’t make out if they had the department-coloured shoulder piping like the tv ones? I was wondering if they reused the actual tv uniforms or whether they’d been made especially for this feature.

I think it’s Chris Pine assistant, the woman who is alongside Anton Yelchin, in one of the last scenes where Kirk makes a homage to absent friends.

I have no idea if the others who were in that scene are linked to the others actors, too.

Go back and look at the Dedication Plaque for the USS Franklin. Did you guys notice how it says, “To boldly go where no MAN has gone before.”?? A clear nod to the TOS verses the more inclusive language since the TNG.

Love the nod to the original TOS version, but still a little too “self-aware” for my tastes.

I might be imagining it, but I’m pretty sure the Teenaxi were inspired by the Gorons from The Legend Of Zelda series. They look damn near identical, and they curl up into a ball and roll around.

Kirks toast at his birthday part at the end where he say “to absent friends” is a reference to ST:III

Without knowing the connection to Justin Lin, I thought that the USS Franklin was a reference to the crew member that helped Scotty rig the transporter to keep his pattern alive for almost 75 years in TNG:Relics

I’ll have to go back and see it again but I could have sworn that I heard a quick music queue from the DS9 theme when we first saw Yorktown Station.

Hmm. I did note the Next Generation font used for the end credits. I also noticed James Kirk was listed in the credits for the VFX, I think it was. The hexagonal mirror panels in the tube where the Enterprise-A was being built were the same from the dry dock in The Motion Picture. Um…Scotty in a tube, putting cables together, just like in the original series. Although, that was what usually saved the ship in the TV series. Not this time. There was an alarm sound taken from the Enterprise-E when Yorktown was being attacked. McCoy may have made a subtle reference to ‘Q’, but I’m not sure if ‘Q’ counts as an anomaly. The Giant green hand nebula actually made me chuckle once I noticed what it was.

So, is the audience supposed to believe that Kelvin timeline crew are the same physical counterparts as prime timeline crew? Pine looks more like Shatner in the new film, but Anton Yelchin looks nothing like Walter Koenig, nor does Simon Pegg resemble James Doohan. Can someone explain this to me?

Joke answer: Sadly, none of the cast were dedicated enough to undergo plastic surgery to turn themselves into exact duplicates of the original actors.

Real answer: It’s called “suspension of disbelief.”

I recognised the klaxon sound as Greg Grunberg ordered red alert on Yorktown. It’s the same sound as the klaxon on the Scimitar when the Remans realised Picard and Data had escaped. I’m also fairly sure it was used on Voyager a few times.

I believe that Greg Grunberg is a good friend of JJ Abrams.

If I’m not mistaken, Yorktown was the name Roddenberry originally intended to be the starship name until he changed it to Enterprise. Can’t remember where I heard that one…it was a long time ago.

All the 'Star Trek Beyond' Easter Eggs You Could Ever Want Are Right Here

We're running them down.

Today, Star Trek Beyond hits movie theaters around the world. It’s the thirteenth Star Trek film ever and if that wasn’t pressure enough, it’s also releasing during a year that serves as the 50th anniversary for the entire shebang. Since 1966, Star Trek has existed in some form , which means Beyond potentially has a lot of fan service to deal with. One of the film’s screenwriters is, of course Simon Pegg, who in addition to playing Scotty in these movies, is also a huge science fiction fan.

Some fans and critics have worried Star Trek Beyond looks like a movie made without a respect to Star Trek in mind. Why is there pop-music in the trailers? How come Kirk is on a motorcycle? But the truth is, Beyond contains a slew of easter eggs and references to the entirety of Star Trek and its long history. Here’s a giant, spoiler-filled list to guide you through every deep-Trekkie-cut in the new movie.

During his Captain’s log voiceover at the start of the movie, Kirk mentions it is the 966th day of the Enterprise’s 5-Year-Mission. 9-66 is a reference to September 1966, the month the first aired Star Trek episode, “The Man Trap,” debuted.

Chekov’s Proud Russian Heritage

Though Bones and Kirk have a conversation in the film being surprised that Chekov isn’t a “Vodka guy,” toward the end of the film, we do see Chekov (Anton Yelchin) lecturing an alien guest at Kirk’s birthday party that whiskey was invented “by a little old lady” in Russia. In the original series, Chekov (Walter Koenig) frequently made erroneous claims that various inventions from Earth, were in fact, “actually” Russian in origin.

Spock and the Mirror

At the end of the movie, as Spock (Zachary Quinto) is going through the possessions of the now-deceased future-version of himself (Leonard Nimoy) he is briefly depicted in front of a refracted mirror. This scene is vaguely reminiscent of the original Spock meditating in his quarters in front of a mirror in The Wrath of Khan.

Snap Wexley at StarBase Yorktown

Not exactly a Star Trek reference, but actor Greg Grunberg, a longtime friend of producer J.J. Abrams, appears as a Star Fleet officer at StarBase Yorktown. Star Wars fans will recognize Grunberg as Snap Wexley, a fighter pilot for the Resistance in The Force Awakens. Grunberg also had a small background part in the 2009 Star Trek

“Skip to the End”

Screenwriter Simon Pegg’s hilarious sitcom Spaced helped to launch his career as an actor and a writer. One of the common catchphrases of his comic-book-loving character Tim was “skip to the end,” which forced other characters to cut out the b/s of a long-complicated tale. Cutely, Captain Kirk uses this catchphrase on Scotty in Star Trek Beyond.

“Absent Friends”

During Kirk’s birthday party at the end of Beyond , he makes a toast by saying “to absent friends.” Kirk (William Shatner) makes this same toast in Star Trek III:The Search for Spock in reference to the death of Spock (and other members of the Enterprise crew.) Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) also toasts “to absent friends,” in Star Trek: Nemesis after Data is “killed.” The toast in Beyond warmly honors this Trek-tradition, but also seems to reference the passing of Leonard Nimoy, and tragically, the death of Anton Yelchin.

Kirk Is Feeling “Episodic”

During Kirk’s Captain’s Log, he mentions he is feeling “episodic,” by the routine of his life. This is (duh) a reference to the 79 “episodes” of the original Star Trek , in which Kirk gets to do all sorts of stuff, including, wielding rocks that look like…um…well, you get it!

Starbase Yorktown

The super-nifty Starbase visited by the Enterprise is called “Starbase Yorktown.” Though the name could derive from numerous historical sources, one of Gene Roddenberry’s original ideas for a name for the ship on Star Trek wasn’t the Enterprise , but instead, the U.S.S. Yorktown.

“It’s Been a Long Road…”

The vast majority of Star Trek Beyond’s deepest cuts are references to the 2001-2005 TV show, Enterprise. That’s right: the supposedly most disliked of all the Star Treks (and the only one with an on-air theme song containing lyrics ) actually gets the majority of the shout-outs here. Mostly, this is because by virtue of taking place in the 2151, the continuity of Enterprise is largely untouched by the time-travel/alternate universe changes from the 2009 film. (That “temporal incursion” takes place in 2233, and the rest of the action takes place in 2258) That 2009 film even contained a reference to “Admiral Archer’s prize-beagle,” which must have been Porthos, Scott Bakula’s dog on Enterprise.

A major plot-point in Beyond deals with the Enterprise crew discovering the long-lost early Star Fleet ship, the U.S.S. Franklin. The design of this ship is similar enough to the “Enterprise” on the show Enterprise because its from around the same time period. Before mutating into the evil Krall, it is revealed Idris Elba’s character was actually a Star Fleet Captain named Balthazar M. Edison who alive during the formation of the Federation in 2161. There’s a little bit of timeline stuff that is wonky here, but through the dialogue, we’re lead to believe that Captain Edison was a member of MACO and fought against the Xindi. In the third season of Enterprise MACO is depicted to be an army-style organization that serves alongside Star Fleet during their war with the alien baddies, the Xindi. As Edison fights Kirk in the climax of Beyond he mentions the war agains the Xindi and the Romulans. The latter is a reference to both the brief appearance of the Romulans in Enterprise but also is a reference to crew members talking about the Romulan War in the original episode “Balance of Terror.”

Riker (left) from TNG in "MACO" gear in the final 'Enterprise' episode "These are the Voyages..." Travis(center/right) is wearing 22nd century Starfleet gear

Scotty also says that MACO was disbanded after the Federation was formed, saying that “we’re not a military organization.” This can be taken as a vague reference to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan in which David Marcus says that the “scientists have always been pawns of the military” to which his mother, Carol Marcus, protests saying that “Star Fleet has kept the peace…”

The uniform Spock borrows from the Franklin vaguely evokes the jumpsuit design of the uniforms on Enterprise , as does the flashback footage showing Edison and his crew. Meanwhile, the technology of the ship itself has all sorts of shout-outs to the 2001-2005 show: Scotty mentions “polarizing the hull,” the presence of “phase canons,” and also that the transporter is mostly used for cargo, even though he modifies it for people.

Finally, Scotty also says that the old ships were “built in space,” which is again, a reference to the TV show Enterprise, but also to the controversial depiction of the Enterprise being built on Earth, in Iowa, in the 2009 film.

Family Photo

One of the most heartwarming moments in Star Trek Beyond occurs when Spock finds a photo of the old-school crew among the possessions of Old Spock. In the movie, we’re meant to take this as Spock realizing how important these people were to his future-self, well into their middle and old ages. The photo itself is a publicity still taken from Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. Like, the TV show Enterprise , The Final Frontier is not regarded as a popular Star Trek film. But, this picture of everyone together sure is sweet.

Late in the film, Scotty and Jaylah (Sofia Boutella) rig up music on the Franklin to dissrupt the hive-mind of Krall’s ships. The song that plays is, of course, “Sabotage” by the Beastie Boys. Kirk notes that it’s a “good choice.” In his very first scene, a very young Kirk is blasting the same song while stealing a car in the 2009 Star Trek. Both Bones and Spock also refer to the selection as “classical music.”

“Kelvin Pods”

When the Enterprise is destroyed, Captain Kirk tells everyone to get to their “Kelvin pods.” This is a reference to the Starship Kelvin, which was destroyed in the first of the new films. Kirk’ dad, George Kirk, died because there were no escape pods on the bridge.

Tiny Monsters

In a humorous scene at the start of the movie, Kirk is conversing with some really nasty-looking aliens, who turn out to actually be hilariously and adorably tiny. This brilliant perspective shift is a classic Trek idea. In the episode “The Corbomite Maneuver,” the crew encounters a very scary alien who turns out to actually have the form of a tiny, super-intelligent baby who drinks booze and laughs a lot.

Bones and Spock Counting on Each Other

When the crew escapes the Enterprise following its destruction, Spock and Bones are stranded together after Spock is almost mortally wounded. This mirrors other occasions in which Spock and Bones are stuck together, notably, “All Our Yesterdays,” in which the two are transported to an ice age of an alien planet’s past. Spock gets super emotional in both scenarios. Additionally, when Scotty beams up Spock and Bones separately, he jokes about the prospect of accidentally combining them into one person. This references Star Trek III in which we learn Spock did in fact, put his living soul (katra) into Bones for safe-keeping, effectively making them one person for a short time.

Green Space Hand

When Scotty discusses the potential fate of the U.S.S. Franklin, he mentions a “green space hand.” That’s a reference to the original series episode “Who Mourns for Adonais?” in which the hand of Apollo really does grab the Enterprise. Fun fact: footage from that EXACT episode also appears on a TV in the background of this summer’s X-Men: Apocalypse .

Kirk’s Birthday Blues

While sharing a drink with Bones in Star Trek Beyond , Kirk mentions his birthday is coming up, and he’s depressed about it. The same thing happens in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , though that Kirk is considerably older. This scene between Kirk and Bones also resembles a conversation between Captain Pike and Dr. Boyce in the very first Star Trek thing ever filmed, the unaired pilot “The Cage.” There, Captain Pike expressed his concern for continuing to be Captain of the Enterprise , and over a drink, Dr. Boyce tried to talk some sense into him.

In the scene in Beyond , Kirk also mentions having finished some Saurian Brandy, which is the booze Kirk and Bones hit the hardest in the original series. Bones also claims its “illegal,” a long-running Star Trek joke usually ascribed to Romulan Ale, which everyone gets crunked-on in Star Trek VI , Star Trek: Nemesis and so on.

Commodore Paris

The excellent actor Shohreh Aghdashloo (famous for the SyFy show The Expanse ) appears in Beyond as Kirk’s boss, a Starfleet official named “Commodore Paris.” In the original series, Kirk had a bunch of Commodore bosses, but the name “Paris” seems to evoke a character from the 1995 series Star Trek: Voyager. Lt. Tom Paris was the rogue helmsman of that ship, and his father, a respected Star Fleet admiral, “Admiral Paris.” Is Shohreh Aghdashloo’s character an ancestor of that family? Or is the name just the same?

Star Fleet Captains GONE WILD!!!

As mentioned, Idris Elba’s Kralls is really a crazy depressed Star Fleet captain named Balthazar Edison. In the the final showdown with Kirk, he’s even wearing the classic command-gold uniform! The idea of Kirk having to face fellow captains who have lost their marbles is an extremely common Star Trek plot-device: Decker goes crazy after losing his ship in “The Doomsday Machine,” Captain Tracey turns into a massive asshole in the “The Omega Glory,” and the less said about Garth in “Whom Gods Destroy,” the better.

But the idea of giving the heroic captains of Star Trek mirror-images of colleagues who lose their marbles didn’t stop with the original series. Like Edison, Captain Maxwell was a former war-hero and went rogue in The Next Generation episode “The Wounded,” while jerky (“get it done!”) Captain Jellico briefly messes with the Enterprise in “Chain of Command.” In Deep Space Nine Sisko has to tango with his old friend Commander Hutchinson who also betrays him. Finally, Captain Janeway has to take-out a batshit homicidal Captain Rudy Ransom in the two part episode “Equinox .” Janeway doesn’t get a break with this shit either, as she also has to deal with the evil Captain Braxton, from a future-version of Star Fleet in “Future’s End,” and “Relativity.”

The Stone of Gol: Reloaded

The super-scary bio-weapon sought-after by Krall in Beyond not only looks like this other artifact from the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Gambit,* it also does the same thing! In this episode, Picard and Riker went undercover as criminals only to discover that very ancient Vulcan relic was being reconstructed that could basically melt-the-shit out of people, similar to what we see Krall’s weapon do in the new movie.

First, Best Destiny

As mentioned, Kirk is really thinking about quitting being Captain in Star Trek Beyond, so much so he really might take a desk job as Vice Admiral. This is a direct reference to Kirk getting promoted in Star Trek: The Motion Picture and then later regretting that decision in The Wrath of Khan. In that film, Spock tells Kirk that “Commanding a starship is your first, best destiny. Anything else, is a waste of material.” Luckily, Chris Pine’s Captain Kirk comes to his senses by the end of Beyond and never takes the desk job.

Enterprise-A

At the very end of Star Trek Beyond we’re shown a new Starship Enterprise being constructed very rapidly. As we know, it’s a proud Trek-tradition to blow-up the ship and then build a new one. The first time this happened, the original crew was given a new Enterprise in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. That Enterprise had the registry of NCC-1701- A. The new “second” Enterprise in Beyond does, too. It also looks a little different from its predecessor, but not too much.

Star Trek Beyond is in theaters now. Go boldly and find all the other nerdy references we missed!

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Spoilers Star Trek: Beyond - END CREDITS

Discussion in ' Star Trek Movies: Kelvin Universe ' started by Believer Bob , Jul 23, 2016 .

Believer Bob Lieutenant Red Shirt

During the End Credits, as we fly through various planets and nebulae, there were a few cool things to note: .SpoilerTarget"> Spoiler: End Credits Easter eggs Early in the credit sequence, the Doomsday Machine does a quick flyby...! This is followed by the Who Mourns For Adonis "giant green space hand" (which is also mentioned in the film...! What appears to be the Genesis Planet hovers briefly into view... There also a shot of some sort of round, robotic space station or satellite (does anyone know specifically what this is??) And finally, a tiny Enterprise (A??) itself wildly enters the screen, flying like crazy through the nebulae, doing sharp turns and loop-de-loops...! Anyone notice anything else? I'll be watching more closely on my next viewing...  

Admiral Archer Captain Captain

Wow, I didn't catch any of those! Though to be honest, I only paid attention to the actors' names, since in past Trek films there were no easter eggs, just random space phenomenon.  

F. King Daniel Fleet Admiral Admiral

I saw the Big Green Apollo hand (referenced earlier by Scotty)! And the Enterprise doing a loop-de-loop. I'll look for the rest on my next viewing.  

Tosk Admiral Admiral

Yeah, I saw the hand but missed the rest. Will have to pay more attention on my next viewing.  

photon70 Commander Red Shirt

Believer Bob said: ↑ During the End Credits, as we fly through various planets and nebulae, there were a few cool things to note: .SpoilerTarget"> Spoiler: End Credits Easter eggs Early in the credit sequence, the Doomsday Machine does a quick flyby...! This is followed by the Who Mourns For Adonis "giant green space hand" (which is also mentioned in the film...! What appears to be the Genesis Planet hovers briefly into view... There also a shot of some sort of round, robotic space station or satellite (does anyone know specifically what this is??) And finally, a tiny Enterprise (A??) itself wildly enters the screen, flying like crazy through the nebulae, doing sharp turns and loop-de-loops...! Anyone notice anything else? I'll be watching more closely on my next viewing... Click to expand...

The Wormhole Fleet Admiral Admiral

Definitely saw Apollo's hand, missed the other stuff.  

Michael Good Bad Influence Moderator

Admiral Archer said: ↑ Wow, I didn't catch any of those! Though to be honest, I only paid attention to the actors' names, since in past Trek films there were no easter eggs, just random space phenomenon. Click to expand...

Serveaux Fleet Admiral Premium Member

Looked to me like the ringed planet from the TNG opening, but that may have been an imagined resemblance.  

Count Zero No nation but procrastination Moderator

I didn't notice any of that, either. I'll keep an eye out during the next viewing.  

drt Commodore Commodore

Only after noting Apollo's hand did I start to pay closer attention so I missed the Doomsday machine.  

Smellmet Commodore Commodore

Dennis said: ↑ Looked to me like the ringed planet from the TNG opening, but that may have been an imagined resemblance. Click to expand...

Anyone know what the small round satellite/robot/probe thingie is or is a reference to?  

publiusr Admiral Admiral

The Wormhole said: ↑ Definitely saw Apollo's hand, missed the other stuff. Click to expand...

EnsignRicky Commodore Commodore

I noticed the green hand and found it very amusing, more so since McCoy actually mentions it as a throw away line in the film. The one thing that really caught me at my showing was how most of the audience sat there for the fly through and tributes but the second that Adalay or Riannya song came on, everybody immediately and simultaneously got up to leave the theater. I don't know what happened after that since I was among them. Way to both turn the closing credits into a second rate James Bond film and clear out an entire theatre; And this is what they give out Grammys for these days. Anyway, it was a great film and I'm probably just venting a little, But hey, at least it took my mind off The Beastie Boys for at least a few moments.  

DaddlerTheDalek Captain Captain

Dang. I missed most of them.  

Tuskin38 Fleet Admiral Admiral

I'll have to keep my eye out next time I see it.  

EnsignRicky said: ↑ since McCoy actually mentions it as a throw away line in the film. Click to expand...

Tiberius Jim Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

I found it amusing that there's a guy in the graphics department named James Kirk.  

USS Firefly Commodore Commodore

The one thing that really caught me at my showing was how most of the audience sat there for the fly through and tributes but the second that Adalay or Riannya song came on said: The same happened in the cinema I was in Too bad the 3D effect were better with the nebula scenes in the end credits than in the movie. I thought the dedications to Nimoy & Yelchin where late, I would start the movie with them. Click to expand...

shapeshifter Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

Flux Capacitor said: ↑ I found it amusing that there's a guy in the graphics department named James Kirk. Click to expand...

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Hallmark’s 2023 STAR TREK Ornaments Revisit “Relics,” Data and Spot, Badgey, That Giant Green Space Hand, and More

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Starting with  Star Trek: The Next Generation , Hallmark is revisiting the landmark crossover episode which brought Montgomery Scott (James Doohan) through time to visit the Enterprise-D. Taken from his shared time in the ship’s holodeck , this “Relics” ornament has Scotty offering Picard a glass of green Aldebaran Whiskey.

The “Relics” ornament — which also features audio from this scene in the Next Generation episode — will be available in October 2023 for $34.99.

Data and his pet cat Spot take the second  Next Gen ornament spot this year; this TNG release will also include integrated audio: press a button and hear the android’s “Ode to Spot” poem, as recited aboard the Enterprise-D in “Schisms.”

The Data and Spot ornament will be available in July 2023 for $22.99.

A two-pack of Badgey ornaments from  Star Trek: Lower Decks represents the animated series this fall, as these representations of the hologram’s good and evil personalities join the Hallmark  Star Trek lineup.

The Badgey two-pack will be available this October at a price of $19.99.

The original  Star Trek series gets plenty of representation in 2023, starting with this nod to “Who Mourns for Adonais?”

The “giant green space hand” (as it was called in Star Trek Beyond ) of the Greek god Apollo — which captured the Enterprise in the beginning of that 1967 episode — comes to life this year with an ornament that allows holiday collectors to insert a standard Christmas tree light into its ‘wrist.’

Available in July, the “Who Mourns for Adonais?” ornament will cost $29.99.

Hallmark is also releasing two miniature-sized ornaments this year — a small USS Enterprise and a tiny Captain Kirk — which will fit perfectly on the branches of one of those small table-top Christmas trees.

Both are coming in October; the Captain Kirk ornament will cost $9.99 and the  Enterprise ornament will be $10.99.

A new tabletop display decoration rounds out Hallmark’s Star Trek releases for 2023: a six-inch original  Enterprise ‘orbiting’ a glowing planet from deep space. 

In addition to the light show, the display also includes audio clips from five Original Series episodes (including “Balance of Terror”), plus the series theme song — you can also play ambient Enterprise bridge sound effects from the display base.

Warping in this October, the  Enterprise tabletop display will retail at $129.99.

Keep checking back to TrekCore for the latest in  Star Trek merchandise news!

• Hallmark Ornaments
• Star Trek: Lower Decks
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• Star Trek: The Original Series
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• Who Mourns for Adonis

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Weird Star Trek Easter Eggs

• Star Trek embraces its weird and wonderful easter eggs, like the secret cameo of R2-D2 in the 2009 reboot, which adds a fun twist for fans of both Star Trek and Star Wars .
• The body of James T. Kirk, the iconic Enterprise captain, is preserved and studied at the Daystrom Institute, hinting that he may still have a future in the series.
• Star Trek Beyond pays homage to the original series with a reference to the cosmic green hand in space, capturing the nostalgia and history of the franchise in one easter egg.

To boldly go where no one has gone before, Star Trek reinvented sci-fi for a televised audience back in the 1960s and has continued to do so. Star Trek has been revitalized over the last decade, with plenty more shows and movies well on the way in the ever-growing library of Star Trek content. With over 6 decades of legacy and continuing missions, Star Trek has harbored some weird easter eggs, from its own series and others.

RELATED: Star Trek: Best Holodeck Creations Ever

Star Trek isn’t shy about referencing its past, and many of the best easter eggs in the series embrace the weird and wonderful, allowing audiences to enjoy its past and embrace its future. Star Trek isn’t afraid to get strange, whether it’s including a robot from another rival franchise, or featuring cosmic hands from decades prior.

R2-D2 In Space

Star trek (2009).

There’s a secret cameo in the Star Trek reboot, one that competing fans of Star Trek and Star Wars may be rather confused about. Star Wars' cinematic venture concluded with Revenge of the Sith , and that would be the last time audiences saw R2-D2 in live-action. That was, until 2009’s Star Trek , which featured the adorable and sassy droid flying out into space as part of some debris.

The R2-D2 cameo is definitely a “blink and miss it” moment, and features within the space debris. R2 can be found on the left of the screen as the Enterprise comes to see the wreckage of another ship . It’s weird, and wonderful, considering J.J. Abrams went on to direct R2-D2 in The Force Awakens.

James T. Kirk’s Remains

Star trek picard (season 3, episode 6).

Featuring in the final season of Star Trek Picard , and the crew enter the Daystrom Institute, where they discover some amazing secrets from across the Star Trek series, such as genetically modified Tribbles, and the Genesis machine that brought Spock back to life. However, the most famous possession within the Daystrom Institute, is the body of James T. Kirk , perhaps the most famous Enterprise captain to ever live.

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Kirk tragically died in Star Trek Generations , and many fans were disappointed and confused by this death. However, it seems that the Starfleet Admiral may have life in him, as his body has been kept preserved and under study within the Daystrom Institute. There’s hope yet that Kirk may one day return.

Apollo’s Green Hand

Star trek beyond.

Star Trek Beyond features a weird easter egg that some audiences might not understand. Scotty references the fate of the U.S.S. Franklin and how it was snatched by a “ green space hand ” this alone is reference enough to the past of Star Trek , but the end credits solidify it by actually showing the cosmic green hand in all its glory.

In The Star Trek Original Series episode “ Who Mourns for Adonais? ”, the Enterprise is plucked off course and snatched by a floating green hand in space, which brings the fleet to a planet that is seemingly paradise. It’s great to see this green hand return in both mention and physical appearance within the end credits of Star Trek Beyond.

Green Starfleet Uniform

Star trek: strange new worlds (season 1, episode 5).

It seems rather strange that Captain Kirk wears a green tunic in a random episode of Star Trek The Original Series , but there’s actually a good reason for that. Star Trek was released in 1966 when color wasn’t exactly a priority for televised series. Kirk was mostly seen wearing a yellow uniform, but it turns out that this was the error, and this yellow outfit was due to poor lighting. Therefore, some of Kirk’s attire, seemed lime green, when in fact it always was.

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This is referenced in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , a new Star Trek show that embraces everything weird about Star Trek . Captain Pike can be seen in a green uniform in the Season 1 episode “ Spock Amok ”, a hilarious reference to the old 60s show.

Jeff Bezos Plays An Alien

Many might know Jeff Bezos as the former CEO of Amazon, perhaps the most famous company of all time. Jeff Bezos is worth a fortune, and more, and he made a cameo in Star Trek Beyond , even if many audience members might not have known it due to the incredible prosthetic work of Star Trek Beyond ’s makeup team, which turned Bezos into an alien .

Bezos is a huge Star Trek fan. So much so, that he invited William Shatner on board a Blue Origin spaceflight. Bezos features as an unnamed alien Starfleet officer in heavy makeup, and it’s weird to know that beneath all that green is one of the richest men in the world.

Trouble With Tribbles

Star trek: into darkness.

Doctor McCoy has a Tribble of his own that he uses for testing in his sickbay in Star Trek: Into Darkness . It’s always great to see a Tribble , especially when they caused so much trouble in their first Star Trek appearance way back in The Original Series “ The Trouble With Tribbles ”, Season 2, Episode 15. Tribbles are known to multiply, continuously, but luckily that’s not the case in Star Trek: Into Darkness.

Instead, McCoy experiments with the Tribble in his sickbay, and he even uses it to save some lives. Tribbles are a weird addition to Star Trek , and show the endless and creative potential of their many alien creatures. Star Trek is ever-opportunistic, and Tribbles showcases just that thanks to their simple and furry design.

MORE: Star Trek: Best Roles Played By Jeffrey Combs

Screen Rant

Uss franklin: star trek beyond’s bakula-era starship explained.

J.J. Abrams' movies always respected the legacy of Scott Bakula's Enterprise, as proved by the inclusion of the USS Franklin in Star Trek Beyond.

• J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies respected the impact of Star Trek: Enterprise and included numerous references to the prequel series.
• The USS Franklin, from the era of Scott Bakula's Star Trek: Enterprise, played a significant role in Star Trek: Beyond, showing a continuation of the franchise's timeline.
• The inclusion of references to Enterprise in Abrams' films demonstrates that the show's legacy was acknowledged and ensured, despite being criticized as the downfall of the franchise.

The USS Franklin plays a key role in the climax of Star Trek: Beyond and it originates from the era of Scott Bakula's Star Trek: Enterprise . The J.J. Abrams Star Trek movies were an attempt to relaunch the franchise in theaters after it had fallen out of favor on the small screen. Abrams' first movie, 2009's Star Trek was released four years after the final episode of Enterprise aired, and for a time it appeared that the big screen would be the new home for Gene Roddenberry's beloved sci-fi franchise. Although J.J. Abrams' Star Trek was a reboot of the original 1966-1969 run of Star Trek: The Original Series , it was incredibly respectful of what had immediately come before it.

Abrams' Trek movies honored how Enterprise positively impacted the Star Trek franchise with numerous references to the prequel series. When Cadet James T. Kirk (William Shatner) first met Montgomery Scott (Simon Pegg) in the movie, Scotty had been sent to Delta Vega after losing Admiral Archer's beloved beagle. It's quite extraordinary that Abrams' Trek confirmed that Archer lived well into his hundreds, presumably being aged between 140 and 145 at the time of Scotty's unfortunate transporter accident. However, this was far from the only reference to the era of Scott Bakula's Jonathan Archer, as proved by the use of the USS Franklin in Star Trek Beyond.

USS Franklin In Star Trek Beyond Explained

In Star Trek Beyond , the USS Enterprise was destroyed over the planet Altamid by Krall a.k.a. Captain Balthazar Edison (Idris Elba) and his forces. Separated from their crew, Captain Kirk, Scotty, and Ensign Pavel Chekov (Anton Yelchin) were brought back together aboard the USS Franklin by another of Krall's escaped prisoners, Jaylah (Sofia Boutella). As the first of Starfleet's warp 4 starships, the USS Franklin NX-326 was a forerunner to Captain Archer's warp 5-capable USS Enterprise NX-01. Commanded by Edison, a veteran of both the Xindi and Romulan wars, the USS Franklin disappeared in 2164, 90 years prior to the events of Star Trek Beyond .

Speculation about the Franklin's disappearance was rife among the fledgling Federation, as Starfleet sought to explain the loss of Balthazar's ship and crew. While some believed that the Romulans were responsible for the Franklin's disappearance, others pinned the blame on the giant green hand of the alien that claimed to be the Greek god Apollo in Star Trek: The Original Series . In reality, the USS Franklin potentially encountered a wormhole and crash-landed on Altamid, never hearing from the Federation again. This abandonment turned Balthazar into an embittered and vengeful enemy of the Federation, finally attempting to carry out his revenge after he encountered the crew of the Enterprise.

Star Trek: Enterprise Is Canon In J.J. Abrams Star Trek

The attack on the USS Kelvin that created Star Trek 's Kelvin timeline occurred 72 years after the events of the hated S tar Trek: Enterprise finale . The timeline divergence means that everything that happens in Enterprise is canon in J.J. Abrams' movies. It's why there are so many references to the events of the Scott Bakula show in the J.J. Abrams-produced Star Trek movies. For example, Captain Edison was a former member of the United Earth's Military Assault Command Operations division, who regularly featured in episodes of Enterprise .

Given that Star Trek: Enterprise was long seen as the show that killed the franchise, its continuity with Star Trek: Beyond disproves this. Given the apparent apathy toward the series, it would have been all too easy for the Abrams' movies to completely ignore the adventures of Captain Jonathan Archer and his crew. By including references to this history, Abrams' Star Trek movies ensured that the unfairly maligned Star Trek: Enterprise 's legacy was assured.

USS Franklin

• View history

The USS Franklin (NX-326) was a 22nd century Federation Freedom -class starship operated by Starfleet . It was the first Earth ship capable of reaching warp factor 4. Its armaments, typical of the era , included pulsed phase cannons and spatial torpedoes . Its defenses included polarized hull plating . Auxiliary craft included a complement of shuttlepods . ( Star Trek Beyond )

• 1.1 Alternate reality
• 2 Personnel
• 3.1.1 Launch date
• 3.2 External link

History [ ]

The Franklin was launched from the San Francisco Fleet Yards sometime between 2145 and 2151 . ( ENT : " First Flight "; Star Trek Beyond , dedication plaque )

Following the Earth-Romulan War and the formation of the United Federation of Planets , the Franklin received a new dedication plaque and was placed under the command of Captain Balthazar Edison , a former MACO veteran of the Xindi and Romulan wars. After many further missions and adventures the ship vanished in 2164 while on a mission in the Gagarin Radiation Belt , an incident later taught to future Starfleet officers at Starfleet Academy . Speculation abounded about the ship's disappearance, with theories ranging from it surrendering to the Romulans to being captured by a " giant green hand ".

The USS Franklin partially camouflaged on Altamid

However, the distance traveled suggested a wormhole displacement. The ship eventually crash landed on the planet Altamid . As no sign of rescue came, Edison came to believe the Federation deliberately abandoned them. Edison discovered relics left by Altamid's native species , including numerous ships , a drone workforce, and life-sustaining technology capable of stealing the "life force" from its victims. Edison and his crew abandoned the wreck of the Franklin and turned against the Federation.

Alternate reality [ ]

The USS Franklin departs Altamid

By 2263 of the alternate reality , the Franklin had been discovered, half-buried under the surface of Altamid, by Jaylah , who placed it under a holographic cloak to use as a residence. The Franklin had functioning power reserves, serviceable engines , and intact data logs despite a century of neglect. Before her encounter with the crew of the late starship USS Enterprise , Jaylah had begun repairs on the Franklin , learning English from its on-board computer and becoming familiar with the " classical " music of 20th century Earth stored in the ship's data banks.

The Franklin defeats Krall's swarm

Marooned on Altamid, Captain James T. Kirk , Commander Spock , Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott , and Ensign Pavel Chekov further repaired the Franklin , restoring its transporter capability, and, enhancing it to transport complex lifeforms rather than simply cargo , they rescued the Enterprise crew imprisoned by Krall. Learning of Krall's plan to use his swarm ships and the super weapon known as the Abronath to attack the Federation Starbase Yorktown , Kirk and company successfully piloted the Franklin out of Altamid's atmosphere by dropping the ship off a cliff in order to reach terminal velocity . Most Federation vessels were designed with a feature that allowed the ship's forward momentum to be converted to a capability to "jump start" the engines. While Impulse Engines were available, this was only temporary; the ship needed this feature to maintain the ship's capabilities to continue using not only the Impulse Engines, but to jump-start the Warp Core. Other examples of this feature exist: for example, the use of this feature by Lt Erica Ortegas (SNW, Prime Universe) to restore atmospheric flight capabilities in a shuttle.

Encountering Krall's forces at Yorktown, Kirk and company piloted the Franklin into the swarm. Using the ship's antiquated technology, Kirk's crew disrupted the individual vessels' communications with radio signals and created a chain reaction that destroyed most of the swarm. Pursuing Krall and two remaining ships, the Enterprise crew piloted the Franklin into Yorktown's internal docking structure, using the ship itself to destroy the attacking vessels before crashing into Yorktown Central Plaza near Yorktown Headquarters . In the aftermath, Kirk and Commodore Paris officially closed the missing-in-action report on the Franklin and its crew. ( Star Trek Beyond )

Personnel [ ]

The crew of the Franklin

• See : USS Franklin personnel

Appendices [ ]

Background information [ ].

Star Trek Beyond Director and Producer Justin Lin felt that including a pre-Federation ship in the film satisfied a goal he had – for the movie to explore and embrace everything in the Star Trek canon . He also believed the craft seemed to service the film's plot and its themes. In hindsight, he noted about the concept, " It felt pretty organic. " In fact, the creative staff loved the idea that, whereas the survivors from the Enterprise were initially under the impression that they were the first Humans on Altamid, there was some antiquated Federation technology elsewhere on the planet, proving otherwise. ("Beyond the Darkness", Star Trek Beyond (Blu-ray) / (Blu-ray 3D) / (4K Ultra HD) )

After deciding to include such a vehicle in the movie, the filmmakers next had to determine some precise details about it. Screenwriter Doug Jung explained, " We took a lot of care into making sure that we were specific about what kind of ship it was and what it could do, so that it fits in the timeline of all that stuff, which is really well established. " ("Beyond the Darkness", Star Trek Beyond (Blu-ray) / (Blu-ray 3D) / (4K Ultra HD) )

At first, the vessel was considerably different from how it turned out. Supervising Art Director Don Macaulay observed, " The Franklin had a small role in the movie when we started. " ("Exploring Strange New Worlds", Star Trek Beyond (Blu-ray) / (Blu-ray 3D) / (4K Ultra HD) ) The ship was originally to have been named the " Pioneer ", which it was called in an early screenplay for Star Trek Beyond . In the same script, the vessel was a significantly smaller scout ship that Scotty found in a desert, buried under sand. The creative personnel imagined him entering it by climbing through a hatch at the top of the ship, then getting the craft working again. Once Kirk and the rest of his team had rescued the other members of the crew, the screenplay called for them to somehow get back on board the craft. The script also made it clear that the vessel was a relatively old Starfleet ship that could withstand an extreme beating but had been lost on the planet for a long time. As the script proceeded to develop through successive drafts, the vessel's role in the story became increasingly more important. ( Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection , USS Franklin Special Issue, pp. 7, 10, 11, 12, 13 & 14)

A concept illustration of the USS Pioneer , which later became the Franklin

The ship was designed by Sean Hargreaves , who described it as initially being "almost like a large shuttlecraft." [1] By the time he began producing concept images of the ship, it had been reconceived as a freighter. The designer produced a couple of images that showed the craft buried under the sand. In another of his earliest concept illustrations of the vessel, it bore the name "USS Pioneer " and was portrayed as launching into the planet's atmosphere, aided by external rocket packs which Scotty had attached to the vehicle's underside. Hargreaves was mindful of the fact that the ship had been fiercely pounded before crash landing on the planet's surface. ( Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection , USS Franklin Special Issue, pp. 10, 11 & 14)

The use of the NX prefix and USS would seem to have been added after the formation of the Federation, as United Earth starships depicted in the mostly pre-Federation series Star Trek: Enterprise did not commonly use USS and the NX prefix was only used for ships in the NX-class or part of the NX Project and Warp Five program .

Unsure how Kirk and his associates would load supplies onto the ship, Sean Hargreaves devised a way for them to manually access the vessel through a ring of large cargo bay doors he positioned on the top of the vehicle. However, this sequence ultimately didn't make it into the movie, as the film's other creative personnel decided that Kirk and his cohorts would simply beam aboard the vessel instead, so Hargreaves changed the doors into prominent ridges that were meant to represent some kind of an array. ( Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection , USS Franklin Special Issue, pp. 14-15 & 17)

At first, Sean Hargreaves intended for the craft to be capable of ascending and descending vertically. Although he even did variations of the ship with landing struts to facilitate these maneuvers, the scripted depiction of the ship and its launch sequence continued to evolve. Essentially, the vessel was now conceived as being discovered by Scotty at the top of a mountain and sliding down the side of that mountain during takeoff, so the landing struts were never shown. ( Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection , USS Franklin Special Issue, pp. 15-16)

The dedication plaque of the USS Franklin

By the time this change was made, the craft had been renamed the " Franklin ". ( Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection , USS Franklin Special Issue, p. 16) That name was chosen in recognition of Justin Lin's father, Frank Lin; the vessel's dedication plaque has a slightly wider gap between the letters "k" and "l" to further emphasize this tribute. The Franklin 's registry number, 326, was in honor of Leonard Nimoy 's birthday. [2]

Once Sean Hargreaves completed his version of the ship and the design had finally been approved, the craft was tweaked for its portrayal in the film by the visual effects staff at Double Negative . They were tasked with adjusting the Franklin on a shot by shot basis. After deciding which materials would be included in the vessel's construction, the VFX team added a load of debris which they imagined as having literally grown over the ship's hull during the ages it had spent grounded on Altamid. " It had been sitting there for a couple of hundred years so it had dirt and rocks and trees growing on it, " stated VFX and Associate Producer Ron Ames . " It was kind of funky when it took off. " ( Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection , USS Franklin Special Issue, pp. 17-18) Double Negative made the vessel look appropriately battered, due to the intention of the Franklin being an old and rusty vessel. ( Cinefex , No. 138, p. 91)

The VFX group also carefully worked out the additional damage sustained by the ship while it, immediately after launching, falls over the cliff, endures a battle with the swarm ships, and finally crashes its way into Starbase Yorktown. All of that damage needed to be recorded so it could be tracked in each shot. ( Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection , USS Franklin Special Issue, pp. 17-18) During the craft's transit, Double Negative took the ship through five stages of destruction. ( Cinefex , No. 138, p. 91) " We added scrapes when it comes off the edge of the cliff, " Ron Ames recollected, " then you had to know where it had been hit by swarm ships, so you build a history of the damage and follow that through. " ( Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection , USS Franklin Special Issue, p. 18) CG Sequence Supervisor Rhys Salcombe explained, " At the point where it smashes through Yorktown ''s door, we entered damage state three, which was pretty mangled. As it's flying through the docking tubes, it bangs off various things and gets additional dings and scratches. After the breach, we went into stage five. The ship is broken beyond repair at this point – it's a wreck, revealing a lot of its interior structure. " ( Cinefex , No. 138, p. 91)

The creative personnel also wanted to make the Franklin appear convincing in the space battle and during its very eventful journey into the starbase, about which Ron Ames commented, " We really tried to make that as real as possible. " The battle was modified to include the craft firing in retaliation at the swarm ships, even though the Franklin had heretofore been thought of as having either no weaponry whatsoever or minimal weaponry that was no longer functional. " As the third act was rewritten when we were editing, " said Ames, " we had to add weaponry to tell the story, otherwise it would have been a sitting duck. " Making the vessel apparently tougher in this way made it seem more believable that the Franklin managed to last as long as it did while enduring so much damage. ( Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection , USS Franklin Special Issue, pp. 18 & 19)

The bridge set of the Franklin

Ultimately, members of the film's shooting company highly approved of the Franklin . Don Macaulay remarked, " It became a very important part of the movie [....] I think it turned out to be a great-looking set. " ("Exploring Strange New Worlds", Star Trek Beyond (Blu-ray) / (Blu-ray 3D) / (4K Ultra HD) ) Ron Ames enthused, " I thought the way the Franklin behaved in the final battle and as it came into the space station was beautifully designed [....] It was very successful and pretty cool. " ( Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection , USS Franklin Special Issue, p. 18) Kirk actor Chris Pine raved, " Every nook and cranny on the Franklin , and the detail work is extraordinary, from the painting to the electronics. It's just mind-boggling. You know, stuff that maybe no one will see, but in the moment of acting in that space, it's incalculable, the effect that it has on me. It just adds to this world that we're creating, and it's super fun. " Jaylah actress Sofia Boutella was also impressed by the set of the Franklin . ("Exploring Strange New Worlds", Star Trek Beyond (Blu-ray) / (Blu-ray 3D) / (4K Ultra HD) )

Popular Mechanics ' July 2016 cutaway depiction of the Franklin

In 2016, collectible miniatures of the ship were produced by Snapco and QMx as home video and theater concession stand premiums. Three more miniatures are slated for release by Hallmark , QMx, and Eaglemoss Collections ' Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection partwork magazine in 2017.

Launch date [ ]

Regarding the vessel's origins, Dylan Highsmith said, " If you want the official explanation on the Franklin and its warp factor: it was a MACO ship (or a United Earth Starfleet ship that housed MACO personnel at times) that predates the NX-01. When the UFP Starfleet is formed, MACO was disbanded and the ship was reclassified as a Starfleet ship [with the ' USS ' identifier]. The ship is then 'lost' in the early 2160s. It was important to everyone that the ship, like Edison, predate the Federation; that thematically, the ship mirrored an earlier time in history and served as a bridge in design between then and the NX-01. Doug and Simon may have worked up something [on an official launch date], but if they did it never made it to script or screen. Either way it predates the NX-01, and was reclassified after the UFP is formed. " [3]

The possible launch date of the Franklin as Earth's first warp 4 vessel can be narrowed down based on information from ENT : " First Flight ", which established that the warp 3 barrier was first broken by the NX-Delta in 2145 , and that the construction of Enterprise , Starfleet's first warp 5 ship, began in 2150 . Therefore, the launch of the Franklin likely occurred within that range.

External link [ ]

• USS Franklin at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• 2 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

Release date: July 22, 2016 (UK)

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"There's no relative direction in the vastness of space," a Starfleet high mucky-muck tells  Enterprise  Captain James T. Kirk ( Chris Pine ) in "Star Trek Beyond." "There's only you." She's asking him whether he wants to give up his captain's seat for a chance at a powerful desk job on the eve of his thirtieth birthday, a year younger than his father was when he died. Her language is meant to spur Kirk to look inward, and for a moment we might hope that he will, and that the film will look inward with him. 

There's a precedent for this sort of thing. Where all of the TV incarnations of " Star Trek " were mainly about morality and philosophy, with characterization serving as a means of examining those dramatic values, most of the big-screen film versions, including the '80s and '90s versions of the flagship TV show, were mainly concerned with the heroes' personalities. The screenplays gave us detailed examinations of, say, the relationship between Kirk and his half-Vulcan first officer Mr. Spock, between Kirk and the United Federation of Planets, between Kirk and the Klingons who tormented his civilization and killed his only son, and between all the characters (Kirk especially) and the prospect of aging and death. It was more soap opera than space opera at times, but always fun to watch, sometimes moving. 

What undermines "Star Trek Beyond" is that it's ultimately not interested in taking a long look at the "you" of Kirk, Spock ( Zachary Quinto ), ship's doctor "Bones" McCoy ( Karl Urban ), communications officer Uhura ( Zoe Saldana ), and the rest of the NCC-1701 crew. Sure, it nods in that direction. Even the worst "Star Trek" stories do. But in the end it's mostly a good big-budget sci-fi action movie that's been marinated in "Star Trek" flavor packets—and thus not terribly different from the 2009 "Star Trek" reboot or its sequel, " Star Trek Into Darkness ."

"Star Trek Beyond" pits the crew of the  Enterprise  against another bellowing megalomaniac ( Idris Elba ) who wants to punish the United Federation of Planets for its perceived sins. It's the best of the new "Trek" films, but it's still an unsatisfying effort if you want "Star Trek" to be something more than a military-minded outer space action flick, with familiar, beloved characters shoehorned into a standard mix of martial arts slugfests, close-quarters firefights, and scenes of starships and cities being shredded and burned. Advance publicity hyped "Star Trek Beyond" as a return to the original series' roots as a showcase for a bunch of eccentric personalities traveling the galaxy, ingeniously solving problems, and indulging in populist philosophizing about civilization and the frontier as they went along. But that's not what we get here—not really. 

Yes, there's a promising setup (the  Enterprise  crew is held hostage by a vicious bad guy who rules a backwater planet a la Kurtz in "Heart of Darkness"). And there are suggestions of classic "Star Trek" style action-plus-characterization-plus-cleverness, and pleasing performances by a cast that has settled into each others' rhythms, as a real-world naval crew would after years of sailing together. 

But the movie never delivers on its considerable promise because it's always in such a hurry to get to the next action scene. And aside from three magnificent setpieces—the first, crippling sneak attack by a fleet of tiny ships that swarm the  Enterprise  like explosive bees, and two vertigo-inducing chase-and-fight scenes in which geography goes all M.C. Escher on us—the action is not good enough to be the film's main course. Lin, who proved in the "Fast and Furious" series that he could do great or near-great action, here substitutes wobbly camerawork, chop-chop editing and rumbling sound effects for suspense and a sense of spatial design. It's a step up from the action in J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek" movies, but that's not the sort of thing one should brag about. A climactic reprise of a certain overused Beastie Boys song might be the franchise's low point, rivaled only by the laughable credits sequence of "Star Trek V," which cut from a helicopter shot of a lean young stuntman scaling a craggy peak in the Pyrenees to a close-up of the 57-year-old star/director Shatner's meaty hand in a studio, gripping a fiberglas "rock."

Simon Pegg and Doug Jung's screenplay provides the right amount of homage (as when Kirk grumbles after an opening action scene that he ripped his shirt again), plus Spock/McCoy odd-couple banter and some marvelous, character-based laugh lines (Scotty demands that Kirk give an opinion on one of his engineering improvisations, because "if I mess it up, I don't want it to be just my fault"). There's psychological nuance, irony, even a political subtext (Elba's character, Krall, a reptilian Che Guevara-type who wants the galaxy's "frontier" to "push back" against the Federation's expansionism). Too bad none of these aspects are filled out with the detail they deserve. Krail's fire-and-brimstone sermonizing is turned to nonsense by a pointless and self-defeating third act "twist"—like we need another one of those after the boneheaded fan service of "Darkness"!—and there are points late in the film where "Star Trek Beyond" seems jolted by the sudden remembrance of things that it told us it was going to deal with but didn't. 

Uhura spends most of the movie in a prison camp. Kirk, Spock and even McCoy have human moments, but they spend too much of their screen time sprinting through hallways, firing phaser pistols, and piloting spaceships while yelling and grimacing in tight closeup, like the heroes of every other science fiction-flavored action movie projected in theaters recently. Krall and other characters allude to the Federation's fake-benevolent brand of imperialism, but unless you're familiar with examples from elsewhere in the "Star Trek" universe or got briefed by a super-fan before buying a ticket, you'll leave with no sense of whether the villains' grievances are legitimate, much less if you're supposed to feel mixed emotions at Kirk's inevitable triumph.  

Spock, whose home planet was destroyed by a renegade Romulan warlord in the first movie, suffers most from the filmmakers' preoccupation with  pew-pew-pew! a ction-adventure. For three movies now, Spock's been carrying a crushing load of survivor's guilt. The character's barely disguised Jewishness, brilliantly articulated by the late Leonard Nimoy in the original TV and movie series, is more pronounced in the new franchise: he's been turned into a holocaust survivor, part of a fragile Vulcan diaspora haunted by genocide. But the scripts seem scared of treating Spock's predicament with the seriousness it deserves, much less daring to put it at the center of a film. Here it's treated mainly as an explanation for why Spock can't seem to keep a relationship going with Uhura. The death of Leonard Nimoy is integrated into the story by having Vulcan diplomats inform Spock of the death of Ambassador Spock, an alternate-universe incarnation of the character who dispensed advice and plot points to new Spock whenever the screenwriters painted themselves into a corner. The film's method of mourning Nimoy's Spock makes the Spockus ex machina  thing worse. New Spock mourns classic Spock as if the two were dear friends who had dinner every Monday at the same Chinese restaurant.

The missteps of writing and direction are more depressing when you consider the excellence of the core cast. Quinto and Saldana give the Spock-Uhura relationship and their own spotlight moments a lot more than the film gives them. Pegg is a hoot as Scotty, colorful but never hammy, though we may justifiably raise a Spock-like eyebrow at all the times that the actor-screenwriter lets his character save the day. Pine's Kirk seems to be morphing seamlessly into Shatner's, complete with surprising pauses and intonations, but he's more credible as a strong, respected leader; watch how the actor grows more calm and friendly whenever Kirk's bridge crew is becoming more agitated. Elba is such a strong presence throughout, even near the end, that it's a shame Krall is never granted the depth and complexity that his character keeps threatening to disclose. 

At this point it's worth asking what, if anything, this franchise is good for besides generating cash for Paramount and its above-the-line talent. Everything that made the original TV series and its follow-ups, small- and big-screen, seem so open-hearted, intelligent and playful is marginalized to make room for hyperactively edited action scenes and displays of hardware and production design. These are technically state-of-the-art but ultimately not all that different from what you see in most other CGI-driven action pictures, superhero as well as sci-fi—long, loud spectacles that are filled with people fighting, blowing up cities and planets, and crashing things into other things, instead of finding some other, more surprising way to move the plot along. What's the point of giving up pleasures that the "Star Trek" franchise is good at providing, to make more room for pleasures that most big-budget science fiction and fantasy already give us, month after month and year after year? Why boldly go where everyone else is already going? 

Matt Zoller Seitz

Matt Zoller Seitz is the Editor at Large of RogerEbert.com, TV critic for New York Magazine and Vulture.com, and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in criticism.

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Film credits.

Star Trek Beyond (2016)

Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action and violence.

120 minutes

Chris Pine as Kirk

Zachary Quinto as Spock

Karl Urban as Bones

Zoe Saldana as Uhura

Simon Pegg as Scotty

John Cho as Sulu

Anton Yelchin as Chekov

Idris Elba as Krall

Sofia Boutella as Jaylah

Deep Roy as Keenser

Alice Eve as Dr. Carol Marcus

Writer (television series "Star Trek")

• Gene Roddenberry

Writer (uncredited)

• Roberto Orci
• Patrick McKay
• John D. Payne

Cinematographer

• Stephen F. Windon
• Greg D'Auria
• Dylan Highsmith
• Kelly Matsumoto
• Steven Sprung
• Michael Giacchino

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Zoe Saldana in Star Trek Beyond (2016) Paramount Pictures

Exclusive: The Jewelry In ‘Star Trek Beyond’

Uhura’s vulcan necklace turns the plot while her earrings shine.

by Marion Fasel

If you are surprised to see Star Trek Beyond in this column about jewelry and movies, you have not seen the film yet. Obviously, it is not all diamonds and pearls like the array of treasure in the  jewelry blockbuster hit of the summer. The jewelry is much more, however, than just the statement earrings worn by Lieutenant Uhura in every Star Trek ever made. The Vulcan Amulet Necklace is a vehicle for the romance between Uhura (Zoe Saldana) and Commander Spock (Zachary Quinto). It plays a part in the action—yes, I said action.  And it also inspires some great banter.

The same style of Ted Muehling earrings from August in Los Angeles worn by Zoe Saldana in Star Trek Beyond Photo courtesy

Before getting into the creation of the one-of-a-kind necklace lets look at the   earrings for Uhura. Art jewelry classics by Ted Muehling, the Small Silver Chips  were sourced at the Los Angeles jewelry boutique August  by Elena Balshem from costume designer Sanja Milkovic Hays’ team. Smaller in scale than the earrings worn by Uhura in previous productions, they were appropriate for the intensity of Star Trek Beyond that   mainly   takes place on the planet Altamid . The beautifully shaped silver and perfectly sculpted gold French wires in the earrings translated magnificently on the big screen.  While the inspiration for the design was certainly organic, like most of Muehling’s work, they look futuristic in the sci-fi context.

The key jewel in the movie, Uhura’s Vulcan amulet necklace, was created by the props department.   

Uhura’s Vulcan amulet necklace

“I can make a space gun almost without thinking about it, but if you want to do jewelry you have to pay attention,” explained Andy Siegal, the prop master on the production, who was reached by phone in Los Angeles. The first thing Andy did was enlist illustrator John Eaves , a Trek veteran with experience dating back to the 1989 film Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.  “John understands the importance of the Trek visual language,” said Andy.

In the script written by Simon Pegg and Doug Jung, the necklace had belonged to Spock’s mother so Eaves generated a few designs with a retro Star Trek vibe. The concepts were 3d printed in various sizes, shown to the director Justin Lin for approval and tried on Saldana for the fit. Next wax models were made for the pendant by a jeweler and transformed into metal that was aged. A box chain necklace was sourced and added to the amulet.

Meanwhile Andy went on the hunt for the right blue gem to set in the jewel. “We found a beautiful opal but it was too expensive plus we needed to make three,” said Andy. “One for Zoe, one for her double and one in case something happened to one of the other two.”  The resolution to the situation was to find someone who could make a synthetic opal. “We went crazy into the details of this thing. We wanted the entire piece to look cool and real. We had the synthetic stones cut three times to get the striations right and make sure the stone was the perfect width, because, well, you never know how close a close-up is going to be.”

The first time the necklace appears on screen there is only a glimpse of the blue stone in Saldana’s hand.  (See the clip above.)  It enters the film plot when the action gets heavy and shines in all its glory at the end.

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This Was Anton Yelchin's Favorite Episode From Star Trek: The Original Series

J.J. Abrams' 2009 "Star Trek" feature film wasn't so much an adaptation of the 1966 TV series as it was a film version of how non-Trekkies view the franchise. To explain: on the TV series, Captain Kirk (William Shatner) is typically depicted as being judicious, stern, and decisive. Because of the few times Kirk solved problems with his fists, however, he has gained a (perhaps unfair) reputation for being a reckless cowboy, an insufferable lothario, and a flippant charmer. Abrams' version of Kirk (Chris Pine) rolled with those misconceptions, making a "high-octane" version of the character. Indeed, all the characters are now broader, more passionate versions of themselves. This is in addition to each of them being secret super-geniuses, deeply expert in at least one field of science, language, medicine, or engineering.

Case in point, Chekov (Anton Yelchin) knows how to operate a transporter in such a way that he can snatch crewmates right out of the air as they plummet through a planet's atmosphere below. Everything in the 2009 "Star Trek" is shifted into overdrive, with whirling cameras, shouting, fighting, and desperate last-minute escapes. Abrams turned "Star Trek" into an action movie. 

That said, many of the new cast members did their "Star Trek" homework, watching old episodes of the original series and using their forebears as models for the latest versions of their characters. Yelchin in particular closely emulated Walter Koenig, and was even careful to imitate Koenig's unique Russian accent, even if it wasn't wholly accurate. 

In 2009, TrekMovie interviewed the late Yelchin about playing Chekov, asking the actor — perhaps naturally — what his favorite episode of the original series was. Surprisingly, Yelchin was very fond of "Who Mourns for Adonais?," the episode wherein the Enterprise crew faces off against the Greek god Apollo.

Yelchin thought that 'Who Mourns for Adonais?' was 'fascinating'

"Who Mourns for Adonais?" (September 22, 1967) begins with the Enterprise being grabbed in space by a giant green human hand. Kirk and company beam down to a nearby planet to find Apollo (Michael Forest) living there. This appears to be the actual god Apollo of Greek myth, and he demands that the Enterprise crew worship him, just like he used to be worshiped back on Earth. Kirk, Chekov, and the others surmise that Apollo is actually an ancient alien that once visited Earth thousands of years ago, and the locals assumed he was a god. Kirk explains to Apollo that humans have outgrown the need for gods, and Apollo is sad. After Apollo ascends to join the other "gods," Kirk admits that even without the benefit of divinity, modern civilization still owes a lot to ancient Greek culture. The title is a reference to an 1821 Percy Shelley elegy about John Keats.

Yelchin probably liked "Adonais" because Chekov has a lot to contribute. He was part of the episode's landing party, and he was active and contributive. In Yelchin's words: 

"Probably the one with Apollo. I think is such an intelligent episode. It is an episode where the basic point is that humanity ... looking at it in terms of the '60s when men are their own gods, and look at where they brought their universe to. It was such a fascinating, touching, weird thing to have an episode. Where men come to a planet where a god wants to be a god again." 

No such heady concepts were included in the 2009 film, as it was, as mentioned, an action picture. But It's nice to see that Yelchin found some of the original Trek concepts to be interesting. 

'Amok Time' - a.k.a. the pon farr episode

Yelchin also liked "Amok Time," saying, "I also love the episode where Spock is PMSing and where Kirk has to fight Spock."

That's an indelicate way of describing pon farr, a Vulcan phenomenon where their bodies sexually activate once every seven years. While undergoing pon farr, Vulcans become unbearably horny, but also very angry and animalistic. They are moved to mate. In "Amok Time" (September 15, 1967) , Spock (Leonard Nimoy) undergoes pon farr and returns to Vulcan to marry his betrothed T'Pring (Arlene Martel). T'Pring finds that Kirk is a more appealing mate, however, and Kirk and Spock have to fight in a Vulcan gladiatorial arena for her hand. It's a notable episode of "Star Trek" because of the amount of Vulcan lore it introduced into the franchise, but many — like Yelchin — seem attached to the episode's silly, horny violence. 

Yelchin also admitted that he did more research than some of his co-stars. He read "The Star Trek Encyclopedia" by Mike and Denise Okuda, and watched every episode of the show. Chris Pine, it seems, began watching the series, but stopped partway through the first season. "I kept going. I loved it," Yelchin said. "I even watched the episodes that Chekov wasn't in. The ones that he was in I found interesting, like when they go to a bar in 'The Troubles With Tribbles' and they have a drink, I liked that." 

Yelchin also played Chekov in "Star Trek Into Darkness" in 2013 and in "Star Trek Beyond" in 2016, released posthumously .

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Published Apr 26, 2024

RECAP | Star Trek: Discovery 505 - 'Mirrors'

No matter how bad things get, the one thing you always have is a choice.

SPOILER WARNING: This article contains story details and plot points for Star Trek: Discovery.

StarTrek.com

Previously, in " Face the Strange ," Moll and L'ak unleash a time bug aboard the U.S.S. Discovery, designed to paralyze them and keep them stuck as they're randomly cycled through time. Once they're ahead of Discovery and on to the next clue, they can escape the bounty on their heads and finally be free.

In one time loop, Zora informs Burnham and Rayner one of the outcomes they feared had come to pass — the Breen gained control of the Progenitors' tech and destroyed everything, leading the Kellerun to believe the Breen must be the ex-courier's highest bidder. Thankfully for the crew, they're back in the mix and only lost six hours. Plus, they discovered a warp signature matching Moll and L'ak.

In Episode 5 of Star Trek: Discovery , " Mirrors ," Captain Burnham and Book journey into extra-dimensional space in search of the next clue to the location of the Progenitors' power. Meanwhile, Rayner navigates his first mission in command of the U.S.S. Discovery , and Culber opens up to Tilly.

• Cleveland "Book" Booker
• Michael Burnham
• Paul Stamets
• Sylvia Tilly
• William Christopher
• Dr. Hugh Culber
• Moll (Malinne Ravel)
• Breen Primarch

• U.S.S. Discovery -A
• Discovery shuttle
• I.S.S. Enterprise
• Breen warship

In his quarters aboard the U.S.S. Discovery -A, Cleveland "Book" Booker contemplates advice given to him by his mentor and namesake, "No matter how bad things get, the one thing you always have is a choice." Book gazes at a holo of Moll — real name Malinne Ravel, the daughter of his predecessor — certain that she is capable of turning things around just as he had. Aware that Cleveland Booker IV saved his life, Book believes he owes it to him to do the same for his daughter.

With Discovery at Moll and La'k’s last known coordinates, Book makes his way to the Bridge, where Captain Michael Burnham gives the stage to Commander Paul Stamets and Lieutenant Sylvia Tilly. Though it appeared as if the couriers' ship left a warp trail which disappeared into empty space, adjusting the viewscreen to compensate for the Lorentzian coefficient in high-energy spectra reveals the presence of a fluctuating wormhole. Stamets states that it leads to a pocket of interdimensional space and is collapsing and expanding due to matter-antimatter chain reactions, likely caused by the Burn.

Captain Burnham surmises that the next clue resides within the wormhole, and Tilly notes that Moll and L'ak are probably in there, as well. Lieutenant Gallo, Commander Rayner, and Lieutenant Christopher brief the captain — sensors can’t penetrate the aperture, the opening isn’t large enough to fit Discovery’s saucer, and there’s no guarantee that they’ll be able to maintain comms contact. Burnham nods, ordering Lieutenant Linus to prepare a shuttle with boosted comms and fortified shields before requesting that Lt. Commander Gen Rhys place a security team on standby.

"Mirrors"

The captain's declaration that she will accompany Book on the away team draws Rayner's interest, and the two senior officers convene in the Ready Room. The Kellerun first officer expresses his view that he should be the one risking his life to lead the mission. She assures Rayner that she needs him on the ship and refuses to bring additional security with her, citing that the implied threat of armed guards would undermine Book's personal connection to Moll. Recalling the devastating future they had witnessed during the time bug ordeal, Rayner observes that it was only one possible outcome.

Captain Burnham senses there is more to Rayner’s unease and quotes the Ballad of Krul , " Serve it without a grum of osikod ." Though impressed by his captain's reference to Kellerun culture, Rayner still holds back. Burnham theorizes that his concern is related to taking the conn while she's away, and he begrudgingly admits it has been some time since he took the chair from another captain. The first officer makes eye contact, confessing that he doesn’t want his tenuous rapport with the crew to jeopardize the mission. Burnham reassures Rayner that she believes in him, leaving the demoted captain to swallow his protest.

Book joins Burnham to embark on their journey and pilots their shuttle away from Discovery . Relaxation floods the former courier's expression as he notes the craft is "purring like Grudge when she’s killed something." Hoping to emphasize his connection to Moll's father in the event they locate her, Book playfully shifts the conversation to the captain's temporal escapades when the time bug overtook the ship. Burnham makes a "my lips are sealed" gesture, only willing to disclose that she encountered some surprises.

The shuttle approaches the aperture, and Book plans to charge the impulse capacitance cells and release them into the drive coils to give the vessel a boost. Book offers a saying from his own culture, Never return from a hunt without enough bait for the Carrion Reaver . Burnham laughs off the "catchy" phrase, and the shuttle launches toward the wormhole's pulsating light. Turbulence causes the ship to tremble, and a bright flash overwhelms the two occupants.

Commander Rayner observes from the Bridge and is initially greeted by static. Burnham's voice cuts through the interference, informing the first officer that they made it through. Rayner’s relief is short-lived, as Discovery loses the shuttle's comm signal. He orders Stamets to the Science Lab in a bid to boost comms and conveys confidence as he takes the ship to Yellow Alert.

Meanwhile, in the wormhole, exotic matter has rendered the shuttle's sensors and holopadds inoperative. Book and Burnham narrowly dodge debris — "debris is not a good sign" — and spot the smoldering wreckage of Moll and L'ak's ship, or at least half of it. The nebulous environment clouds their vision, and Book wonders if the couriers survived. Burnham stands as she spots another vessel through the murkiness, its I.S.S. markings indicating it originated in the Mirror Universe. Shock envelops the captain's face as she reads its full designation — I.S.S. Enterprise* — and postulates that how the vessel arrived in interdimensional space must be "one heck of a story."

Book sees the Constitution -class starship's battered hull as evidence that it became trapped during a battle, and Burnham declares that it must have been ages ago — crossing from the Mirror Universe has been impossible for centuries. A shipwreck in a hidden wormhole sounds like a secure place to hide the next clue, though the captain is only acquainted with her brother Spock's U.S.S. Enterprise . They glimpse the other half of Moll and L'ak's broken vessel and assume that, if the couriers are alive, they must be on the Terran ship.

Back on Discovery , Tilly tracks an EPS conduit to a panel in Sickbay — after having followed it across three decks, including through the quarters of a new ensign who keeps a Cardassian vole as a pet. Sensing that Dr. Hugh Culber feels troubled, Tilly lets him know that she's always available to talk — at least until Stamets chimes in over the comm system to check on the status of her work. Culber maintains that he is fine and promises to find Tilly later, though his demeanor leaves her unconvinced.

In the Science Lab, Stamets notices that Ensign Adira Tal is undergoing some uncertainty of their own while working on their graviton pulse idea. The ensign rechecks their calculations for a third time, prompting the astromycologist to tell them that the time bug was not their fault. Rayner strolls in with confidence and requests an update on attempts to boost the comm signal. Stamets begins to explain, but the commander interrupts and states that he does not need to know how the cake is boiled. Adira is taken aback by the Kellerun culinary insight — Rayner assures them not to knock it until they try it — but Stamets presses forward with a proposal to hold the interdimensional aperture open. Unfortunately, there's a 43.7% chance that a graviton pulse would cause the aperture to close with the captain and Book still inside. Visibly frustrated, the first officer urges them to get the comm signal back.

Phasers drawn, Captain Burnham and Book enter the I.S.S. Enterprise 's bridge, which is adorned with Terran insignia and dimly illuminated by flickering lights and control panels. Intent on using the ship's sensors to track quantum signatures from the Prime Universe in order to locate Moll, L'ak, and the clue, Burnham pauses when she realizes that Book is standing at the science station — her brother's station, at least on the U.S.S. Enterprise . Though she had never met Spock's Mirror counterpart, she assumes he was just as ruthless as the Terrans.

Using a hack Book had previously applied on an Andorian transport ship, the captain successfully accesses the Enterprise 's sensors, and — after the former courier elicits words of praise from her — they detect that the intermix chamber has been ejected from the warp drive, all shuttles and escape pods are gone, the captain's log was erased, and the crew had apparently abandoned ship. Evacuation is a last resort in Terran culture, but the starship's damage was not terminal. The situation leaves them puzzled, but they turn their attention to the three Prime quantum signatures located in Sickbay — Moll, L'ak, and the clue.

En route to their quarry, Burnham and Book spy bedding, blankets, clothes, and other objects one wouldn't expect to find on a warship strewn about in the transporter room. Book gets a glimpse of the I.S.S. Enterprise 's dedication plaque, which itself bears an unorthodox phrase for Terrans, " Light of hope shines through even the darkest of nights. " The inscription describes the starship’s story, and Book relays that the new Terran High Chancellor had been killed while trying to make reforms. The crew mutinied, escaped, and attempted to shuttle refugees from the Mirror Universe into the Prime Universe, and a Kelpien slave-turned-rebel leader helped them. As she listens to the tale, Burnham picks up a locket and places a piece of her uniform inside of it. The mention of the Kelpien — likely Mirror Saru — catches her attention, and she supposes the crew fled when the ship got stuck within the aperture.

The pair continue on and move through the Terran ship's sparking corridors, only to be confronted by a batch of Moll and L'ak holo-doubles whose phasers are pointed toward Sickbay's entrance. Unable to determine which Moll and L'ak figures are real or target the room's holo emitter from their location, Book and Burnham rush their opponents and dodge a storm of phaser fire. They take out several holographic doubles before striking Sickbay's emitter, and the two couriers' true forms are revealed. Everyone heads for cover, but Burnham's diplomatic appeals don’t sway Moll or L'ak.

Book steps out from his concealed position. The captain follows with her phaser up, but Book tries to relate to Moll via their shared connection with her father. Moll grimaces with pain and anger as she states that Cleveland Booker IV was garbage, and L'ak holds up their bargaining chip — a device containing the next clue. Moll pitches a compromise; if she and L'ak are given a ride out of interdimensional space, they’ll let Starfleet replicate the clue. Burnham counters, bluntly replying that the couriers don’t have the clue. Referring to the decoy stanzas on Lyrek, the captain displays the locket she had procured and notes it has a Prime quantum signature.

The standoff remains steadfast, and Book draws Moll's ire when he guesses the couriers would not risk each other's lives over latinum. The exchange intensifies, and Moll contests that not even the Federation could lift an Erigah . Burnham recognizes the term, stunned to learn that the mysterious L'ak is actually Breen. An Erigah is a Breen blood bounty, and Moll and L'ak clearly hope to exchange whatever is at the end of the clue trail for their freedom. Book questions Moll about what they did to receive such a sentence, and the courier reflects…

…back to one of her regular visits to a busy Breen space station some years ago, where two helmeted Breen investigated one of her deliveries. Moll is unafraid when a third Breen approaches, introducing herself by quipping that she enjoys latinum and long walks on the beach. The Breen responds through his helmet's metallic speech processor, but rather than using the Breen sounds deemed unintelligible by most species, he speaks to Moll in her own language and accuses her of cutting her dilithium shipments with impurities. The human denies the accusation levied by "Green Eye," and the two square off in hand-to-hand combat.

Moll's lighthearted conversation persists even as they fight, and she points out that the Breen's belt insignia indicates he is royalty. Rumors have swirled that the Primarch's nephew — an independent thinker named L'ak — has been demoted to shuttlebay duty. Moll suggests that she can help L'ak get payback and admits she does cut the dilithium, leading the Breen to place her in handcuffs. Moll never relents, pitching that having a partner on the inside would make her operation go smoother. She senses L'ak is intrigued and faces him — she knows what it's like to be on the outside and alone — before slipping out of the cuffs. L'ak ponders why Moll would make a deal with someone she didn't know anything about, and Moll resolves to change that unfamiliarity.

Back in the present, Moll refuses to disclose what she and L'ak did to receive their bounty. Captain Burnham cautions them to not let love lead them down the wrong road, but Moll and L'ak opt to open fire once again. An errant phaser blast strikes a control panel, raising a containment field that traps Burnham and L'ak in Sickbay while preventing Book and Moll from re-entering the room. Book intends to resolve the dilemma with the Bridge's security controls and requests Moll's assistance. She agrees to the temporary truce, but threatens to dust Book if he makes one wrong move. They depart, but L'ak and Burnham stay put and keep their weapons drawn.

In another memory from their time on the Breen space station, L'ak receives payment from Moll and declares that her dilithium is clean. She quietly asks if he’d like to inspect her ship again to make sure she didn’t smuggle any tribbles on board, but L'ak's needs to shine his boots in anticipation of his uncle's upcoming inspection. The Breen clarifies that this isn't a euphemism, as the Primarch really likes their boots to be shiny. Moll thinks his uncle sounds like an asshole and brings up the promise that "Green Eye" had made during her last visit. L'ak delays, but Moll is adamant that he show her what he looks like. Though she has seen his face, she wishes to view his other face. L'ak seems self-conscious, and Moll maintains that both faces are a part of him. L'ak concedes, holding his breath and retracting his helmet to reveal his translucent green features. Moll greets him with warmth…

...however, aboard the Enterprise , Moll's demeanor is icy. She walks defiantly through the ship's corridors and rejects Book's appeals about her father. Aware that Cleveland Booker IV left Moll and her mother, Book shares that his mentor made the difficult choice to stay away from them in order to keep them safe. Moll emits a strained laugh, believing that Book must have his own "daddy issues" to have believed her father's story. Even though her father had promised to get his family off of Callor V and take them to a safe-haven colony in the Gamma Quadrant, he eventually just stopped coming home. Her mother was forced to get a job in the rubindium mines, ultimately falling victim to the harsh conditions when Moll was 14. Left alone, Moll tearfully emphasizes that L'ak is now the only person who matters to her.

Down in Sickbay, L'ak and Burnham retain their suspicious stares. Seated, yet still aiming their phasers at each other, they discuss the "power beyond all comprehension" that the Romulan scientist's diary and the subsequent clues would guide them toward. The captain warns L'ak what could happen if they Breen acquired that technology, and her observation that the Federation is all about second chances seems to resonate with him. Though Burnham promises she'd advocate for Moll and L'ak to serve their time together, L'ak is emphatic — he'd rather die than be separated from Moll.

On the Enterprise 's Bridge, the security system's firewall prevents Moll and Book from accessing the containment field. Moll pounds the console in frustration, but Book takes the opportunity to compare Moll and L'ak’s bond with the one he had shared with Burnham. With the exception of Grudge, who bites him when he doesn't feed her, Michael was the first friend Book made after Cleveland Booker IV died. He apologizes for what Moll endured because of her father and explains his troubled relationship with his own father, though Moll's thoughts continue to drift to L'ak…

…and to their time on the Breen space station. Concealed by a force field among the cargo containers, Moll and L'ak kiss. The human pauses, hesitant to mention that she received a new contract in Emerald Chain territory. L'ak calls Osyraa a butcher, but Moll responds that the Breen Imperium's faction wars don't make this region much safer. Her pursuit of higher paydays is a byproduct of her desire to discover the peace and freedom of the Gamma Quadrant paradise that her father had described. L'ak confesses that he only stays in Breen space because he has nowhere else to go, prompting Moll to propose he leave with her. The sound of footsteps interrupts the tender moment, and the Breen Primarch marches in with two Breen soldiers by his side. He disables the privacy field, his visored face locking eyes with the human.

With the memory of that confrontation fresh in her mind, Moll comes to attention on the Enterprise 's Bridge and knocks open a panel underneath the con. She creates a power surge to burn through the security system and short out the containment field, but her actions cause violent explosions to rock the ship. The Sickbay force field drops, though Burnham’s attempt to block L'ak's exit results in another round of fisticuffs that shatters glass and takes its toll. Book reports that impulse engines are overloaded and nav systems are fried — they have no control over the ship. Discovery 's shuttle becomes dislodged, tumbling away from the Terran ship and leaving the Enterprise eight minutes from impacting the aperture.

Book tries to develop a plan, but Moll aims her phaser at him. Nevertheless, Book is still determined to not let anything happen to Burnham or Moll. As a Kwejian, he lost his planet — everything that he cared about is gone. Though Cleveland was a "shit dad" to Moll, he was a great mentor to Book. In a heartbreaking tone, Book informs Moll that she is the only family he has left. He carefully picks up his phaser but chooses to hand it to her. She reacts with suspicion and directs both weapons toward him. Moll wrestles with indecision but opts not to kill him, a choice which elicits a sigh of relief from Book.

Burnham and L'ak's physical confrontation rages in Sickbay, but the Breen's reliance on a bladed weapon proves to be a tactical error. The Starfleet officer subdues him and retrieves the clue — the locket was a decoy. However, L'ak was inadvertently stabbed with his own blade during the attack. Moll runs in at this unfortunate moment, filled with concern for her partner and rejecting Burnham's plea to get L'ak to Discovery for treatment. Now a mere five minutes from colliding with the aperture, Book and Burnham speed off to the Bridge, leaving Moll to assist L'ak in Sickbay…

…and remember the moment when the Breen Primarch caught them together. As a guard holds L'ak, a second Breen strikes Moll. The Primarch prevents his nephew from intervening, then airs his grievance — L'ak carries the genetic code of the Yod-Thot, they who rule . While the Primarch campaigns for the throne of the Imperium, L'ak has been consorting with "lesser beings." His uncle describes L'ak's use of his more humanoid face as an insult to his heritage. The Primarch retracts his own helmet, gesturing to his translucent visage and proclaiming, " This is Breen." L'ak argues that their ability to change is a sign that both faces are a part of them, but his uncle claims they have evolved past a need for that form — holding it makes L'ak unfocused, inflexible, and weak.

The Primarch reseals his helmet and hands L'ak a weapon. His nephew must kill Moll to gain redemption. Resigned to her death, Moll tells "Green Eye" that their relationship was fun while it lasted, but L'ak elects to shoot the Breen guards instead of her. His uncle allows L'ak to place the phaser at his chest. Swayed by the fact that the Primarch raised him, L'ak only wounds his uncle. Alarms blare through the cargo area, and L'ak urges Moll to flee so that he will know she's safe. The blood bounty that L'ak just earned does not dissuade Moll from wanting him to join her. Holding onto his face, she says they can be happy together. L'ak voices his love for Moll…

…which snaps her back to the present, where L'ak reiterates his love for Moll in the Enterprise 's chaotic Sickbay. However, she is unwilling to give up and vows to get them out of this predicament. Meanwhile, Burnham and Book burst onto the Bridge and intend to activate a tractor beam. Book brightens the Terran light panels — "can’t save the day if we can’t see" — and winks at the captain as he takes the helm.

On Discovery 's Bridge, Commander Rayner asks Christopher for an update on comms. Naya interjects, reporting that something is happening at the aperture. A tractor beam can be seen emanating from within the wormhole, and it is oscillating with a repeating pattern: 3-4-1-4. Rayner grins in understanding and calls Stamets, Adira, and Tilly to the Bridge. The first officer doesn’t just need them to hold the aperture open, he also wants them to make it bigger — large enough for a starship. Discovery isn't going in, but their captain is coming out.

Stamets and the senior staff are perplexed by Rayner's announcement, and the Kellerun's reference to the Ballad of Krul doesn't give them any additional insight. Returning to the task at hand, Tilly affirms that such a procedure would require more energy than the entire ship can safely produce. Rayner pushes them for ideas, promising a cask of Kellerun citrus mash for whoever lands this solution. The Bridge is abuzz with chatter — inverting the deflector array would take too long, discharging the spore reserve would leave them unable to make an emergency jump, and pulling power from gravitational systems would cause everyone to float around… but replacing the photon torpedo payloads with antimatter would add fuel to the reactions already present in the aperture! Adira confirms that hitting it precisely with a sequential hexagonal pattern should keep it open for approximately sixty seconds. Rayner questions why it must be hexagonal, but Stamets points to him in a mischievous manner and notes, "It doesn’t matter. It’ll work." Satisfied, the commander awards the citrus mash to the entire Bridge crew and trusts that they'll make their only chance to succeed count.

As Captain Burnham sits in the I.S.S. Enterprise 's center seat, the ship's computer pronounces that only 60 seconds remain until impact with the aperture. Driven by the perilous countdown, she confesses to Book that he was one of the surprises she encountered while ensnared in the time bug's grip. She reflects on how nice it felt and how happy they seemed. Book offers an appreciative nod, but the pull of the aperture shakes the Enterprise .

On Discovery , Rayner orders a volley of torpedoes to be launched at the wormhole, and their detonations cause the opening to expand and generate even more light. The Enterprise 's tractor beam rattles the ship as it makes contact with Discovery . Book awaits Burnham's order to act and asks if he should "hit it." Captain Christopher Pike's signature phrase draws a quizzical and bemused look from Burnham, who replies, "Feels weird. Let’s just fly." The Terran ship's saucer section begins to emerge from the aperture, and its secondary hull clears it just before it collapses and releases a radiant surge of energy.

A relief-filled Captain Burnham communicates her thanks to Rayner over the comm channel, but she and Book then notify Discovery about a Terran warp pod being fired by the Enterprise . Scans detect two lifesigns and sickbay equipment aboard — Moll and L'ak. The pod launches and jumps to warp before it can be captured, though Rayner hopes to follow their warp signature and put out an alert throughout the fleet.

As the I.S.S. Enterprise and U.S.S. Discovery station themselves opposite one another in deep space, Rayner accompanies Burnham on a stroll through Discovery 's halls and compliments her on her "3-4-1-4" signal. The captain's message had referred to Section 4, Verse 7 of the Ballad of Krul , in which Krul calls to his war brothers for rescue with a repeating drumbeat of three taps, followed by four, one, and four. Although impressed, Rayner has doubts about how the mission played out. Burnham encourages him to take the win and relays that she is ordering Commanders Owosekun and Detmer to head a team and fly the Enterprise back to Federation HQ storage.

Discovery 's crew takes some much-needed downtime in Red's, where Culber follows through on his promise to confide in Tilly. The doctor leans beside her at the bar, and Tilly remarks that the day has left her feeling as if she has been through a gormagander's digestive tract. Highlighting the unique experiences he's had — dying, being resurrected, and staying present in his own body while Jinaal Bix inhabited it during the zhian'tara — Culber can only classify these events as "weird." Coupled with their current quest to find the technology that created life, Culber has found these questions to be both impossible to grasp and exhilarating. Since Stamets hates the unknown, Culber isn't sure how to talk to his partner about these emotions. Tilly advises him that the intellectual and the spiritual are not that far apart in the sense that they each bring understanding and can take you to new places. Initially taken aback by Tilly's use of the word spiritual, the doctor lets his friend's words sink in.

Captain Burnham welcomes Book into her Ready Room as she finishes reading a file on the Progenitors. There's no news about Moll and L'ak's whereabouts, but every ship in the sector is on high alert. She extracts a vial of liquid from the device containing the clue and shares that Stamets is preparing to do a full chemical analysis on it. Burnham secures the third object alongside the other two clues, which Book observes always seem to be presented hand-in-hand with a lesson. The ordeal with the itronok on Trill demonstrated that they valued lifeforms different from their own and the necropolis planet evoked the importance of cultural context, so why did a scientist leave the third clue on a Terran warship? 

The query draws a smile from Burnham, who discloses that the scientist had been a Terran named Dr. Cho — the junior science officer aboard the I.S.S. Enterprise . The captain had Zora search for the names from the vessel's manifest, and most of them had turned up in various Federation databases. The crew did make it to the Prime Universe and started new lives, and Cho herself became a branch admiral in Starfleet. The Terrans had hope, found freedom, and overcame the odds. Burnham supposes that those qualities were the reasons Cho returned to the aperture and concealed the clue on the Enterprise . Perhaps the lesson is that they can shape their future in the same way the Terran refugees had.

Book catches sight of the Enterprise getting underway outside of the Ready Room's viewport, prompting the captain to turn and gaze at the vessel. She brings up the time bug secret she had shared with Book when death appeared imminent, but he grins and acknowledges that they had been happy. Stamets' voice rings out over the comm system to let the captain know he is ready for the vial. Burnham grabs the container and makes her way to the door, but Book wonders what happens when they finally put these clues together. Captain Burnham concedes that she doesn't know, but she can't wait to find out.

* " Mirror, Mirror " — The I.S.S. Enterprise was last seen in this Original Series classic when a transporter malfunction sends the U.S.S. Enterprise crew into a mirror universe.

• Written by Johanna Lee & Carlos Cisco
• Directed by Jen McGowan

"Mirrors" features a dedication:

In loving memory of our friend, Allan "Red" Marceta

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Jay Stobie (he/him) is a freelance writer, author, and consultant who has contributed articles to StarTrek.com, Star Trek Explorer, and Star Trek Magazine, as well as to Star Wars Insider and StarWars.com. Learn more about Jay by visiting JayStobie.com or finding him on Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms at @StobiesGalaxy.

Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1-4 are streaming exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., the UK, Canada, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia and Austria. Seasons 2 and 3 also are available on the Pluto TV “Star Trek” channel in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The series streams on Super Drama in Japan, TVNZ in New Zealand, and SkyShowtime in Spain, Portugal, Poland, The Nordics, The Netherlands, and Central and Eastern Europe and also airs on Cosmote TV in Greece. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.